What If
by sweet-and-simple
Summary: Lee is a girl! She wants to go to the prom, but no one notices her, even when she changes her appearance; but wait? Did she just call him attractive! Will she get this jerk to calm down or is she going to have to take drastic measures?
1. Sunday

written by rockleerox93! The next chapters are written by myself, but have had rockleerox93's approval.

~Strange Attraction~

She has been standing for nearly two hours and not one guy has hit on her. Was she doing something wrong? She had followed the fashion magazine accordingly: '_Guys__** love**__ lacey dresses that flare at the knees! Pink is the __**new**__ black! Blue eye shadow is __**what's up**__! Wear yourself a grand hat, it's __**all**__ the rage!'_

The stylish strip of Konoha Mall was the local hotspot for high school students, so why wasn't anything hot for her? She whipped her whole body around to look her reflection in the glaring clothing store window over with frantic curiosity. A slender girl with eye-popping clothes, too much make up and basketball player height greeted her. A classic feathered bob layered and kept shined to a new radiance in summer sun. The magazine had said long hair was in, but Lee didn't have the kind of time to grow hers out. The pink glow on her tan cheeks accented the ruby blush she had patted on. Her eyebrows were…huge, one of the reasons she kept her square bangs; they acted as curtains to pull across her forehead. Her eyes were almost perfectly circular, like that of an average child. She knew for a fact that she wasn't the most attractive girl on the block, quite far from it really. Even with this disadvantage, she was wearing all the attractive things, so why wasn't she attractive?!

She fluffed her hair and puffed her lips out like a clingy woman from an old romance flick. Static began to tickle the small hairs on her neck. Someone was gazing at her! Lee immediately whipped her head around; anxious to see who it was sizing her up. A male, about 6'2 stumbled back a few paces, completely taken by Lee's quick attention. He followed the crowd out, averting his eyes away from the too anxious girl. He muffled a "Never mind" as he exited the shopping strip.

Lee sighed. Despite her impressive efforts she still remained dateless to the prom. She lifted up her top hat and dragged it to her tiny, fallen chest. She bit her lip and held in a muffled groan. She never was girly. All through middle school she was a strict tomboy. She played baseball all her junior life and wore nothing but sweats to and from practice. That way of living wasn't accepted in high school. It was a completely different world. The average life of a girl with junior status included a boyfriend who texted every 10 seconds, an hour's worth of smudging cosmetics over fine skin in class, and laughing at other students who didn't look like them. Lee wanted that life, or more-so, the part that counts, to have a boyfriend, a guy who would take her to the prom a month from now.

She lingered at the Boutique window for a few more moments before deciding that she had overstayed her welcome. She skulked into the crowd, merging herself with the mass of people. The pink tippy toe high heels were killing her feet and smashing her toes together and she couldn't help but sweat… A frilly girl casually strutted aside Lee, slyly poking her foot out in front. Something was amiss, Lee lounged forward unintentionally, and ink black rained at her ears and fluffed up around her forehead. Surprisingly, her face did not meet the pavement. Lee was on her knees, and her arm was wiped back, held by something. She glanced to see who was overhead. A pale skinned male who stood at 5'6, soap-cleansed complexion and somber rich eyes the color of Tokyo Sea encircled by bold black…

"Be careful."

"Man, you are _attractive_..."

The red head blinked, he wasn't appalled or angry. He was bemused more than anything.

"What?"

Lee jumped to her feet and quickly snatched her hand out of the young man's hold. She laughed nervously and pivoted toward the exit, "THANK YOU! BYE!" She was gone as fast as she had appeared. The red head was astonished by her inhuman speed and the dust she had _actually_ kicked up in his face.

"Hey, Gaara! What do you think about the brunette over there?" His blond haired friend managed to finally catch up with him, apparently out of breath.

Gaara glanced over at the girl with the corner of his eye and was _not _interested.

"No."

Naruto stood up slowly and mounted one hand on his hip while the other swiped the grimy sweat off his whiskered cheeks. He glared at Gaara. They had been going to every local hot spot where hot chicks frolicked about, and this was the last destination on the list. And after several hours of searching, Gaara did not want anyone. "I don't get you. You could have any girl here, hell you could probably steal a girl _during_ the prom! Why are you taking your time?"

Gaara did not answer and rudely proceeded to travel the strip without his friend in tow.

Naruto yelled to Gaara's fleeing form, "We've been here for 3 hours and you still haven't mentioned _one_ girl. Let's just g-"

"I _did_ find someone." Gaara growled, annoyed that his friend would put him on blast in front of the nosey public. Naruto dashed beside Gaara, fast to mimic his friends walking stride. "What?! Why didn't you say something sooner?" Naruto took a quick glance around them, excited to see who the lucky girl was. "Where is she? Is that her over there?" The blond pointed to a sherbet haired girl strutting in her stilettos and ripped jeans while her yellow baby-doll top fluttered in the breeze. Gaara was not impressed.

"No."

Baffled, Naruto asked impatiently, "Then where is she?"

"She ran off."

"_What?!" _Naruto could not believe it. "Is she queer or something?" Gaara shook his head. "She said I was _attractive._"

"Well, is she?"

"No."

"_What?!"_ The red head never ceased to surprise him. He would rather have an ugly girl over these hot babes?

Gaara shrugged. "She was what you would call_ 'cute'_, but nothing more. Attractive is too extensive a word for her." Naruto lifted an eyebrow, "So…she's not ugly, but she's not pretty either? What about ordinary?" Gaara didn't need a moment to think to answer that one.

"Not even close."

Naruto was utterly disappointed. He expected Gaara's taste too be…surprising, but not _weird_. No way was he accompanying Gaara and his strange date to the prom. Even though they were good friends, he still had a reputation to live up to. He went out with pretty girls and if Gaara didn't, well…they just couldn't go on double dates.

"So…what now?"

"I'm going to find her and ask her to the prom." Gaara ran a hand through his exotic ruby hair, mussing his spiky due. From what Naruto saw, Gaara was smiling, or more so, smirking. "She ran this way. And I'm going to steal her away before the night is up..." Naruto sidestepped his friend and pretended not to hear the perverted humor in the comment.

"Good for you man."

Gaara agreed, "_Very_ good for me."


	2. Sunday, Part 2

~What if: Chapter 2~

(Lee P.O.V.)

Hurrying down the sidewalk, I still can't believe I said that out loud:

'Man, you are attractive'.

Man, I am such an idiot! But truthfully, he was really, really attractive; but he is way out of my league. He seemed like the kind of guy who took the lead cheerleader on dates on regular basis, not tomboys. I bet he already has a girlfriend…someone who is really gifted in the arts of conversation. She's probably blonde and likes to have lots of...fun in that department of entertainment...She may be shorter than him too.

Sighing, I came to a stop near a worn bench in Konoha Park and sat down. This is the shortcut home, but I have never needed to rest no matter how far I have traveled. I rolled my foot in a circular motion to ease the pain in my ankle. These heels are really killing me. I can't believe I walked all this way in them. Is this what beautiful girls wear all day? I guess beauty really is a pain then.... I threw my pink heels off and looked about the scenery, and instantly regretted it. An old couple was sitting on the bench opposite of me. There was a group of teenage couples laughing, resting against the rough bark of a tree, sharing kisses under the sun. Looking frantically around, I realized I was without company... Am I so bad that I can't even get a guy to look at me?

I stand up, feeling somewhat rejected. With my heels swinging from the support of two tired fingers, I started to journey home. An uncomfortable breeze fluffs up my dress and as soon as I feel the coolness against my thighs, I immediately decide to swap out of my dress for a pair of cozy sweats from my closet. If I can't catch a guy wearing this, then changing into what's comfortable shouldn't hurt anything. I wince from the pinch of rocks and gravel digging into my feet. I jump into the grass to cool my toes. This day hasn't turned out the way I planned it to be.

Walking pass the old couple, I smile and wave and they return the hello. I have always loved to see old couples, despite the sight of them rubbing dirt into my lonely wound, I find it encouraging knowing that two people can find each other and keep a forever lasting love until death do them part. I wish I could find love like that...but it doesn't seem likely. Maybe someday...

Static raced up the back of my neck : I was being watched! I slowly peeked over my shoulder, so as to not alert whoever it was. The old couple began laughing at a squirrel that was eating all the seeds they threw, but they weren't looking at me and no one was behind them... The feeling wouldn't leave me in peace, who is staring at me?! This time I do whip around, trying to see if there's anyone on my other side; nothing but grass, trees, and pavement. I blinked. How strange...

"Hey, look at Miss Bob Cut! Hey honey, nobody's going to waste their Saturday afternoon stalking you. No need to look so afraid!"

"Yeah, unless it's someone looking for a clown!"

I can feel my face flush with embarrassment as the teens at the base of the tree start laughing at me. Do I really look afraid...Do I really look like a clown? Unable to stop myself, I look down at my attire. This was said to be the latest in from the monthly fashion magazines! I doubt designers would want people going around looking like clowns. I give myself another glance. Okay, perhaps I combined too many of the styles together.

I jolt just a bit at the feeling of static. I have never been wrong about someone glancing at me. Never! The feeling is still on my neck.

"Honey, you're entertaining to look at, but you can move along now."

I can't believe them! I stump away with my back straight, but I can't seem to pull my attention from the ground, telling myself that it's because I can see something of interest in the grass. I can hear them laughing and the feeling is still there...

(Gaara P.O.V)

It didn't take long to find her. Despite the park being almost half a mile away from the mall, the only way someone could bypass her is if they were blind or just stupid. Letting her get a head start ensured that she would slow down at some point, and her stopping point had been at the end of the parking lot. In a round-about way, I followed the clicking of her heels and the sound of her grumbling. I didn't outright stare at her until she greeted an elderly couple on a park bench. She even had a cute way of welcoming people.

When she stopped on a dime, I stopped and stayed partly hidden by the tree in front of me. When she looked directly at me from the corner of her eye, I almost believed I had been found out, but ironically enough, she moved on in her search. I knew she sensed my eyes on her. What a peculiar gift...

"Hey, look at Miss Bob Cut! Hey honey, nobody's going to waste their Saturday afternoon stalking you. No need to look so afraid!"

"Yeah, unless it's someone looking for a clown!"

There atrocious laughter actually hurts my ears. The blush that appears on her face just barely shows through the amount of makeup she's wearing, but I know it's there just by the horror on her face. Suddenly, she spins around, moving in the opposite direction of the taunting teens, and this time I swear she saw me, but she didn't. She stays like that for a moment, and then:

"Honey, you're entertaining to look at, but you can move along now."

She gathers her broken pride around her like a shield that will protect her from their verbal missiles. Why those imbeciles are trying to break her…I will never know. But I'm not going to stand for it either; she is the girl I'm taking to the prom, after all. I step out of the shadow of the tree after she disappears over the hill. Stepping into the laughing bunches line of vision I give them a moment to figure me out. I know these assholes from my private school, and they definitely know me.

"Jesus!"

"Oh, what the hell! Didn't know you walked around here...after, uhmm, after school..."

"…" The other person whimpers slightly under my intense stare.

The old couple look towards the commotion and then look at me scornfully. I return the man's glare until he gently pulls his wife up and moves away. I do not care for them. The teenagers, however, are a different matter. The dark-haired boy with incredibly dark eyes and extremely pale skin stares silently back at me. The pink whore of the school sits between his legs and clings to him as if I am the devil about to pull her away. She only wishes I would, she's made that clear. Lilac colored eyes stare at me with just as much scorn as the old man and his wife had, her boyfriends arms wrap around a shame-faced brunette with her hair tied up in buns. Up until I had revealed myself, she had been calling her boyfriend every name she could think of and looked as if she were trying to pull away. She had been the only one who hadn't laughed, but she was still with them. A blonde with sky blue eyes clings to the arms of the pale, black-haired boy earning a few curses from the pink-haired whore.

"And so, the creature does exist outside of the school. Hn. What do you want?"

"Neji, you ass! You hurt Lee's feelings! She really needs a friend right now." The brunette huffed for a minute and then began to squirm in her lover's grip. "I can't believe I hang out with you assholes!"

"Tenten, calm down-"

"Oh, shut it!"

"Ino, let go of my Sasuke!!"

"Why don't you make me, you whore."

"Shut up."

Silence enveloped them all as if a God had just spoken. Now I knew the name of the girl I was taking. What I had to do was make sure that these idiots knew it too. But the ADD of these people was going to make it a bit difficult...

*TIme is 3 hours later is Time* ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The house is small, but a surprisingly warm feeling arises from it. Did those three little boys actually think they could beat me? Had Naruto not come to their rescue, they would not have been walking away from this fight. And the girls? So pitiful, how they thought they could stop me by jumping on my back. They thought I was going to treat them differently, but Naruto hopped in. The only one who had not attacked me was the brunette, and after the fight, I had been able to extract an address from her of where Lee lived. Of course, she had been suspicious of why I wanted it, and I ensured her that I would not molest Lee...well, not immediately anyway...

And here I stood. A basketball hoop decorates the top of the garage door and a soccer ball sits in the front yard. Unless the car is in the garage, chances are they don't have one. Her province was three miles from the park, and if my doubts of her riding the bus or taking a taxi are correct, then she was hiking here this very minute. Even with my delay of fighting and shaking Naruto off, I have arrived here before her, since I rode my motorcycle and, as Naruto puts it, 'You don't give a damn about speed limits!'

"Gah! What are you doing here!?"

Seven yards away from me, on the opposite side of the street stepping out of the woods, is the girl who had called me attractive today; now identified as Lee. And she was free of the makeup that was smeared over her earlier. Why did she bother with it? Lee is alluring when natural...And she's backing away from me. With heels in one hand, her eyes are studying me and her surroundings, as if looking for an escape. She's not going to find one, especially with all the time I put into find her. I can't help the smirk that must be on my face, or the heat that coils up within me. If she wants to run, I'll chase. What my brother once said suddenly dawns on me: 'Don't scare them off, 'cause I can promise you, they won't be coming back till you're on your knees begging for mercy.' I better explain the situation, but it wouldn't hurt to tease her first. She steps backward and I step forward, repeat. I open my mouth, deciding not to get to excited, and -

Behind me, the door swings open and four times that force is shoved into opening the screen door, I know because I hear it fall to the ground. Turning around, there's a man dressed in tight green gym shorts, green spandex shirt and orange legwarmers. I think I went blind after that, suddenly everything appeared green, then blue, and then green again, accompanied by a great, throbbing pain in the side of my face.

"Who are you to terrify my beautiful daughter!? Do you mean harm to my beloved seed? Answer me, you cowardly abomination of youth!!!"

I realize that the green man that had been at the door just slammed his fist into my face, knocking me onto the ground. With the striking resemblance with the bowl cut and eyebrows…he seemed to be Lee's father. Heh, I met the parents a lot earlier than I expected. I look up at him, he's practically red with fury. He turned his attention to Lee, who was extremely red with embarrassment.

"Father! We don't even know what he's here for! There is no way this is what it looks like."

I refused to let her believe otherwise, "No, this is exactly what it looks like."

"YOU DISGRACEFUL CHILD! TO DARE THINK TO DEFLOWER MY MOST PRECIOUS GIRL!"

"…!!!" Lee said nothing. She threw a hand to her mouth and bugged her eyes at me, disbelievingly.

Feeling smug as I look up at the man, I lift myself from the concrete and don't bother to brush away the grass sticking to me. I don't reach out a hand for him to shake because that is not how I do things. Besides that, giving him a handle to throw me by wouldn't be the best idea at the moment.

"I was going to chase her down, and then I was going to tell her what time I would be taking her to the prom. I assume we go to the same school-" I had gotten the brunette to tell me that as well. "-, and the only way you can make sure that I don't get my hands on her is by locking her up somewhere; which will ultimately fail unless it's outside the state."

I gave a crooked smile at the man, "You can't stop me from taking your daughter."


	3. Monday

lj-cut

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**What if~ Chapter 3**

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She just stared at him for a moment, her mind trying to catch up with the conversation but always being thrown right back when getting to that last part. br /

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_'You can't stop me from taking your daughter.' _br /

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She wondered if she imagined him say it… She walked dazed across the street, baffled eyes focused on the handsome redhead. He had to be joking. In her short lifetime she has been the butt of everyone's harsh pranks and jokes...br /

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"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST DRAG MY FAIR, BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER AWAY AS IF SHE WERE A TROPHY!!?"br /

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Lee's eyes bugged for the second time that night. She rushed forward, lashing the grass with her naked feet as she beat her father's flying fist, catching it with an open palm. Getting hit once in a night was bad enough. With that look in his eye, she knew her father would risk his freedom to make Gaara disappear from his doorway. Her father was a very burly man and his strength went unchallenged for years. One more punch to the face would be the end for /

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"Stop it!" Her father glanced down at Lee and then passed an angry glare to Gaara. She smiled and patted him on his knobby fist, "Please calm down, everything is well." br /

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Her father huffed out an angry sign, a sign that he had calmed down. His great onyx eyes stilled and she breathed for what felt like the first time in an eternity. As much as she loves her father, she couldn't allow him to continue terrifying everyone who came by their house in search of her. Especially males. Her father always found some means to scare others away, though friends that were truly loyal came by every so often. It was amazing how little things could scare off others such as her fathers' cooking or prep-talks. Her father didn't go randomly hitting strangers in the face, well, until today. br /

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_'Surely, he is going to leave now. There is no way that someone would go through all of this trouble for a joke.' _And monkeys had grown wings and flippers and had taken over Atlantis. As her father stood there, prep-talking himself - Lee only heard snippets of his speech, "Youthful exercise," "wonderful dumplings", "Lee, could you make curry tonight?" Two very secure arms wrapped around her waist and pulled. She 'eeped' as something slightly cool but moist was pressed against her neck. Something wet touched against the junction of her neck in the barest of contacts. Her Father was too far away in "youth-filled land where your most precious treasure is not being molested by a demonic child" to notice. br /

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"What are you doing!" She croaked, she tried to think of a way to respond, but her brain was dead to her commands. She had never before found herself in this kind of trouble before. She knew martial arts, so why wasn't she using it? Instead, she was almost frozen in place, refusing to turn around. If there was a way to do it without coming face-to-face with a fascinated redhead, she would but she knew that such a thing was impossible to avoid. br /

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Behind her, he actually chuckled, that- that...pervert! When teeth were introduced into the nuzzling-like affection, Lee was startled enough to almost jump out of his arms...almost, but not quite. As fragile as the boy seemed, he was strong. Perhaps he was stronger than her… She wasn't going to stand for this! She didn't even know the guy and she is no one's play thing! br /

She couldn't believe he was getting away with touching her this way and right in front of her father too!br /

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"This isn't going to bruise. I've been in fights before, this is nothing. You could have allowed your father to hit me a second time, I have a high tolerance for this sort of thing. But it was so cute watching you rush to my rescue..." One last nip and Lee was free of the (forced) embrace. She swirled around, one fist ready to knock against his chin, but he was already at his motorcycle, engine purring to life as he twisted the keys, and then he was gone. She rubbed her index finger on the warm spot the boy had made. Lee glared in the direction the pervert sped off toward. What was his deal?

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She found herself disappointed that jerk hadn't told her what time he was picking her up. She turned to go back into the house. Forgetting the heels at the edge of the yard where she had dropped them when making a mad dash to save the redhead from her father. It was almost sad, that someone could actually get used to being hit every day and actually build a resistance against it. Was that even possible? Bruises were formed because of blood that leaks into the skin tissue from damaged blood vessels...It was something she learned about while taking martial arts and biology. No one left her father without a bruise, whether it was because he had hugged them or slugged them. br /

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Soon enough, her father was back to his /

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"HOW DARE HE BELIEVE THAT HE IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!!! SHALL I SEE HIM HERE AGAIN I SHALL CRIPPLE HIS LEGS SO HE CANNOT EVER FOLLOW YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!"br /

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Lee gave a somewhat watery chuckle, looking up at her father with warm eyes. She knew he wouldn't, she could tell because he hadn't done the nice guy pose nor made a punishment for himself should he be unsuccessful. Her father wasn't violent, just overly excited. br /

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Lee smiled sweetly. "Do you want me to make dinner tonight?"br /

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"YOSH!" br /

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Lee laughed and went ahead of her father into the house. Ironically enough, her father did remember the heels and grabbed them for his pressure-ridden daughter. His last concern before heading through the door was Lee's /

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- - - - - - - TIME IS MONDAY, LUNCH - - - - - - -

"What?"br /

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Lee hurriedly hushed her best friend, one hand placed forcefully over her mouth while looking speedily around. The people around them only gave an annoyed glance before paying attention to their food. Lee released the breath she hadn't been holding: That was too close... A mumble tickled the skin of her palm, reminding her to release the grasp she had on Tenten. She didn't want her to bite her again. br /

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"What do you mean? He molested you right in front of your dad!?" Even though Tenten had lowered her voice to a harsh whisper, Lee still flinched. Those hadn't been her exact words, but they did summarize what happened. She nodded her head as if ashamed of the /

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"That is exactly what I mean, Tenten! He was at my house when I arrived and then he, well...he told us what he was going to do. He nearly gave father a heart-attack and he had to stay up half the night to fix the screen door...again!" Lee's voice was even lower than Tenten's with hope that it could remain a secret despite the settings being a school cafeteria room. They would have eaten outside like usual, but the down pour of rain prevented them from doing /

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"Well, do you at least know the guys' name?" Annoyance showed on her face, as if she already knew the answer. Lee shook her head and berated herself yet again for never having asked. Yes, the first meeting had been...stressful and 'somewhat' violent but she should have at least asked… Her best friend groaned, her head falling into her hands in sarcastic disbelief. "Leeeeee, how do these kinds of things happen to you? It's as if there's a danger magnet attached to you that says 'eat me'."br /

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Lee laughed, laughed until she cried. Tenten's words were so funny! Things like a 'handsome boy molesting her'. Yeah, never happened. The closest she ever got to a boy touching her was when they'd mock and tease. They would knock her binders to the ground or shoving her against a locker while roaming the long stretch of hallways. She'd been tripped a few times as well, but by girls. But that was in middle school. In high school, students navigated around her like she was invisible. She knew from the start of freshman year that she would be an outcast.

"Yeah, I bet your danger magnet says 'trip me' instead. It would explain why the girls here always do that!" There was some laughter and Lee's face flushed. br /

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"Hello..."br /

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"Hey, Pup! How's your pops doin'?"br /

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"Father is doing as youthful as ever!" Lee giggled, finding the question a little cute and strange. "...Why are you asking me that?"br /

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Kiba stared straight past Lee's head and pointed across the room. "Because he's right there."br /

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"What?!" br /

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This time, everyone within a five table radius did look at her. She couldn't care less what they thought! She shot up in her seat to see out of the cafeteria window, peeking at the dreary outside. There, in a green poncho, stood her father looking through the window with binoculars. When he saw that she was looking at him, he smiled brightly and waved. His mouth began moving as if he were talking, but that was ridiculous; surely he knew that she couldn't hear him from all the way up here... It was the look of utmost seriousness and anger that told her that whatever he was trying to say was extremely important, but what could it be-! br /

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"Hey, Tenten..?"br /

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"Yeah?" Was it just her, or did Tenten sound slightly panicked?br /

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"Uh…what is going on?" Two arms were wrapped around her waist and a butterfly kiss was placed against her throat as an /

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"Very good." A deep, familiar voice answered from behind her. She could have sworn that he was smirking; she could _feel_ /

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As an angry witness to this, her father almost broke down the window he was pounding on. The teachers on watch moved in towards him and the students sitting by the particular area moved out of the way. As the door was opened to the outside, Lee caught only a fragment of what her father was saying:br /

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"YOU ABOMINATION OF YOUUUUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then the door closed and she watched on with growing embarrassment as her father was dragged away by the other adults. He was being lead to the principal's office for the fifth time in the past 3 years. br /

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"I'm Gaara. Expect to be ready by 7pm on Saturday, Lee." Now Lee _knew_ that was a tongue on her neck. br /

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"You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are touching Pup like that?!" Kiba yanked Lee's arm back, ripping her from Gaara's hands. Kiba growled at Gaara, putting her behind him as he took up a defensive stance. Sure as hell, no one did that to Pup! Both Lee and Kiba knew what it was to be a social outcast. The beginnings of his middle school adventures came to an abrupt stop when he fantasized about hunting and being an animal. He acted this out in recesses, but the kids never played along and even to this day they won't let him live his embarrassing imagination down. In a time where he had only himself, his dog, and his family - not much help at school - , Lee had moved into town and they instantly clicked. Lee was the little sister he never had, and he knew his mom and Hana accepted her. br /

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Tenten took hold of Lee and dragged her away with a look of pure dumb struck confusion gracing her usually cheery face. Lee was blushing red like /

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Gaara looked at Kiba as if he were about to murder him painfully. His eyes were like ice that was so cold, they burned through him, but Kiba was better than that. No one went around messing with his sister! He was going to give this guy a lesson in how to treat a lady!br /

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"Whatever she is to you, she's mine. Any romance you feel towards her, forget them." Kiba's eyebrows were drawn together as he scowled at the bastard. What the hell was he talking about? Lee was like a sister, he couldn't see how their bond could get any closer. Romance wasn't the word, but he did love her like his own blood. He flashed a confident smile at 'Gaara', determined to piss him /

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"Yeah? And if I don't?" br /

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At the table where Tenten was trying to recall Lee, she paled. Gaara? _The _Gaara had said he would take sweet, innocent Lee to the prom? Lee could handle herself better than any girl Tenten knew! But, apparently, this guy had a way of getting Lee to forget how to fight. Of all the guys in the school, Lee had to attract him?! His distinct cruelty and malicious characteristics distinguished him from every other individual Tenten ever had the decency of knowing. Nothing was going to chase Gaara away, it was obvious that Kiba was going to lose this fist fight…and all that was left to break it up were the old custodians roaming around the lunch room. Where the hell was the rest of the gang when she needed them? When she heard a deep intake of breath, she looked down: Lee had awakened, and annoyed to the last of her patience. As Lee stood up and purposefully marched towards the two battling men, Tenten hoped she had a good plan...br /

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- - - - - - - TIME IS AFTER SCHOOL - - - - - - - br /

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"That was your plan! That of all things?! Christ, Lee!" Tenten smacked a palm to her forehead and gave a frustrated growl. "The way he looked at you, it was like he thought it was foreplay or something!" Tenten vented out her absolute horror of the action that had taken place loudly on the shell-shocked Lee. br /

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Yes, hitting the 'most dangerous guy in the whole school' had accomplished something: he didn't kill Kiba. He looked at Lee like she was the main course after having no appetizer. Calling him rude and selfish would have accomplished something... if he truly cared! Telling him that she wasn't going anywhere with him till he apologized for hurting Kiba had been...obvious and very foolish. Just so amazingly foolish! Tenten felt as if she didn't know Lee at all. It was one thing to be stalked, but it was another to hand yourself over to the pervert. Tenten groaned. She gave a sideways glance to her nerve racked friend and passively commented, "Your first kiss looked as if he was trying to eat you alive. Why did you have to say that. It was like screaming 'Take me now!!!!!!!'" Tenten stared at Lee. br /

"I'll never know what's wrong with you." Lee cringed. She didn't know what went wrong with her either. Gaara…that guy was really serious. It was almost flattering, but definitely frightening. br /

"There are stories about him flying left and right. Haven't you ever heard just how many times he's been suspended and his family had to pay the school not to expel him? Guess what, Lee: He thinks he owns you! Uhh, I can't imagine anyone who would want to live their life with that guy…-hey, Lee? Lee!"br /

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_ 'She wasn't going to give it up without a fight! She tried to turn her head away but long fingers smoothly snaked there way in her cropped raven black hair, keeping her in place as the redhead teased her with the small touch. Teeth grazed over her bottom lip before biting down with enough force for her to yelp; well, that's if the air from her lungs weren't robbed. She opened her mouth at the odd sensation, something hot and wet slid in and explored as if on an expedition. Her eyes widened till they seemed to take up her whole face, staring straight into his icy turquoise orbs that seemed engulfed by passive anger. A shocked sensation ran through her, something she has never before felt when faced with the presence of Gaara. With a silent apology to him for what she was about to do, she bit down on the invading appendage and aimed a kick towards his groin. Both hands moved up to shove him away; and disaster occurred. One well placed leg stopped the head-on onslaught to his manhood while his free hands groped around her wrists and pulled her flush against his chest, their lips forcefully meeting once again. He moaned as Lee tasted something metallic on her tongue. What was wrong with this guy!? He returned the favor by nipping at her lip, hard, making Lee jump at the sharp pain. The tongue whispered over the minor wound as he pulled away for only a moment; Lee sucked in a breath, and then the tongue was invading again. And. It. Felt. Good. Lee whimpered at the warmth, her whole body was going limp. How was she suppose to fight against an attack like that? This was a sensory overload-' _br /

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Lee rubbed the back of her head, looking at Tenten with hurt puppy-dog eyes. Her face felt as if it were permanently colored with fire. "Ow!! Tenten-kun, why did you hit me?" br /

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"Did you hear anything I just said?" Tenten studied Lee's guilty look and knew that all her yelling had been in vain. She groaned in /

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"I'm sorry, Pup. I shoulda been able to kick that guys' ass for yah...heheh, looks like I kinda made it worse." Kiba had an ice pack on his cheek where a horrendous bruise had formed. A slight smile quirked his lips. br /

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To Kiba's shoulder, was his boyfriend Shino. Because his sunglasses were prescribed, Lee had never seen his eyes, even in school. He and Kiba had been dating ever since sixth grade, and Lee found there romance adorable. Shino was – of course - secretly furious of what had happened to Kiba in his own cool, calculating way. By the time he had entered the cafeteria, A blonde boy with three whiskered tattoos on each cheek had bear hugged Lee and told her how great it was that 'the stubborn raccoon bastard' finally found a chick he could stand. Then he had dragged Gaara out saying how they were late to class because of his little side trip. Lee had been dealt another butterfly kiss to her neck before he had willingly gone away and Kiba was cursing a blue streak from where he laid immobile on the ground. When Shino had come in, he had skipped lunch to take Kiba to the nurse's office; Lee and Tenten had gone with them. Aside from some pretty bad bruises, a busted lip, and a sprained wrist, Kiba was fine. He had only looked like he was dying. Lee had never felt this guilty for dragging a friend into her own dilemma…even though they kind of put their noses in it. br /

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"There was nothing you could do. He is skilled with fighting and has a high endurance when it comes to bodily injury. In the end, you should have stayed out of it." Kiba casted Shino an exasperated look. He had obviously heard the term used more than /

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"Gee, thanks Shino, I would have never guessed you would say that."br /

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He turned toward Lee and smiled vaguely. "Hey, Pup, you alright?" Lee had fallen a few steps behind the others, her eyes casted downward and a finger pressed against the slight break on her lip from where Gaara had bitten her. She looked up at her friends who were all staring at her with concern...Well, maybe everyone; you could never tell with Shino. br /

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"He's not joking..." Tenten rolled her eyes and sighed, Shino shook his head, and Kiba /

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"Like hell he is!" Lee looked to Kiba almost desperately before sighing. She squared her shoulders and took a deep /

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"Well, if he wants a fight, he shall receive it! No one pushes around my friends and thinks they can get away with it! If I do not succeed in getting Gaara to apologize, I shall go to the prom with him of my own free will!!" One fist extended in front of her and a blinding white smile on her face, feet braced apart, Lee swore to it with the good girl pose. br /

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All three of her friends gawked. br /

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Tenten's smile was forced and wobbly before she shot forward and hit her best friend on the head /

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"Lee, just shut up." If only they could turn back time and stop her from promising it, now there would be no stopping her... why did Lee have to be so stubborn?br /

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Kiba groaned in pure exhaustion, he had to deal with this for all their high school years together. You'd think that Pup would grow out of this...but if she had, she just wouldn't be the girl he had become friends with. He put his head into the junction of Shino's /

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"I can't believe I'm stuck with you people. Can't someone have some sense around here?" He wasn't complaining, really, but he still didn't relax until Shino was scratching him behind the ear: call it a doggy thing, he loved /

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"I am the one with sense here, possibly the only one. If you think you are suffering, then I have already died and gone to hell. Since I am not dead, you are not suffering as much as I am."br /

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Kiba chuckled, looking up from his hiding place to watch as the two girls got into an argument of what was right and what wasn't. Tenten was definitely winning this one. He smiled to himself and stayed back, watching water and fire /

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Shino 'hned' as Kiba and he watched what was happening. In the end, Tenten made more sense (like always) and beat Lee with it. Lee was still going to stick to her promise, and Tenten would never figure out why she tried so hard to make Lee do otherwise. At the end of the day, you could only watch as Lee did something amazingly stupid, and get away with it. br //lj-cut


	4. Tuesday, Wednesday

What If ~ Chapter 4

'_Where could he be?'_

Lee looked frantically around herself, standing in front of the school. She had been waiting there for nearly ten minutes, unable to spot the redhead. When the whole school day had gone by without an appearance from him, Lee had decided that she would have to go looking for him; which is why she was still standing here even though almost all the kids had alreadyabandoned the area. How could she talk to him if she could not even find him?

"Hey Pup! You still waiting for that bastard?" Lee nodded, not wanting to have another fight with her friend about it.

Yesterday, after Shino and Tenten had turned onto their own streets, leaving the two alone, Kiba had tried to pull a guilt trip on her so that she wouldn't go to Gaara; it had not worked. She had promised that she would get him to apologize to Kiba! How could she do that if she avoided him? Had either of them been able to hold grudges, the whole day today would have gone by in a thick silence. Luckily they weren't, and like clockwork, Lee had been at the dog breeding center that Kiba's family owned to help with the puppies born a few days ago. A truce had gone unspoken between them: Agree to Disagree.

Kiba sighed, hating that he was about to tie the noose around his friend's neck. "Have you thought, since he owns that bike, that he'd be riding home instead of walking or waiting for a ride?" Kiba watched with a pity as Lee's face went entirely blank, thinking over that useful piece of information. And then Kiba was all alone, his only company the huge building in front of him and Lee a distant figure sharply taking a corner around it. He grumbled under his breath about really stupid ideas and went looking for his boyfriend. At this point, only Akamaru and his buggy boy could make him feel better.

Lee arrived in the parking lot with record timing. Had she had the courage to tell her father without having him going mentally unstable at the idea that she actually went looking for the 'abomination of youth!', it would have been the first thing she shouted after entering her front door. There were still some cars left in the lot, but as far as she could see, there were no bi-…There! But there was no pale redhead with it, maybe it belonged to someone else? No, this was the exact motorcycle she had seen in front of her house the first time she met Gaara. So where was he?

She looked wearily about herself, knowing she wouldn't be surprised if he was behind her again about to grab her around the waist like he seemed to have a habit of doing. Slowly turning fully around, it was surprising to know that her prediction was false; she was the only one here. She began walking through, just to make sure she hadn't missed something. Should she wait here for when he came for his bike? Or should she go looking for him? What could he be doing?

Lee had finally opened her ears in school, never having actually been fond of the gossip, but relying on it now. Sabaku no Gaara was known for being something deadly. People were positive that his family was a powerful one and there were only three people who had the courage to stand up against him: Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji. Out of those three, Lee was relieved to hear, was his friend: Naruto, the boy that had hugged her yesterday.

Lee paused in her search, everything about her going still as she focused herself on hearing that one sound again. When it repeated itself, she dashed towards the source of it, her heart thundering. She leaped over a bush and tackled a large rottweiler to the ground, ignoring how it bit at her, sharp canines coming mere centimeters from her face. She shoved it away from herself, standing quickly and looking down at it with harsh anger. Hanging out with Kiba had taught her how to handle these situations. She pointed away, her gaze locked with two ferocious black orbs.

"You! Leave now!" She showed no fear as she shouted the command at it, waiting for when it knew it wasn't the dominant one in this fight. There were more growls and two false starts toward her, then it whined and trotted away, looking over it's shoulder at her as if trying to say just how evil it thought she was. She didn't move until she could no longer see it, before turning to the victim.

She lowered herself to her knees, carefully reaching out to the panicking child. Blood was seeping out of her arm where she had been brutally bitten by the dog, eyes wide and shedding tears like rainfall. She whimpered before throwing herself into Lee's arms. A sob broke loose as she continued to scream after every other breath she took.

"I want my mommy!" Lee stroked the child's hair, humming a song she liked in hopes of calming her down a bit.

"I know, I know. Can you tell me where mommy is? I'll take you to her." She looked into the child's large green eyes and smiled comfortingly. "May I see your arm?" The child eyed her for a moment, debating whether or not to hand over the appendage. Finally she did so with many sounds of intense pain, tears flowing faster down her cheeks.

"It..It hurt-ts!" Lee continued to hum, aware of how it actually seemed to calm the child down only somewhat, but it was better than the hard stiffness that was present otherwise.

"I know it does. My friend has a lot of dogs, and some of them bite just as hard as this. I have a few different scars from those rascals." The child looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"Really?" Lee gave a small laugh.

"Oh, yes."

"Can I…can I see them?" Lee moved the child gingerly in her lap so that she could put her other arm in front of her face while the other continued to hold onto the injured arm of the girl. The child looked at the scars with awe. "Did…th-they hurt?"

"mm-hmm, every one of them were extremely painful. It is okay to cry when you are bitten so hard from such large dogs." Her words managed to help calm the child further. Lee continued to hum as she took the bottom part of her shirt into her hands and ripped off a strip. It was a stroke of luck that she wore such a long one today. Carefully, she tied it around the girl's bleeding arm, pulling gently, but tightly. The girl whimpered, but otherwise stayed silent now, eyes large, unfocused, and glassy: shock. It made her gut twist painfully knowing that the girl was going to have to go to the hospital and get stitches.

"…what song are you humming?" Lee's eyebrows rose for a moment in question before the words registered.

"One step at a time by jordin sparks, have you ever heard it before?" The child shook her head no.

"Could you…could you sing it for m-me?" Lee blushed and shook her head. When the child did nothing but look away from her, breathing harsh and uneven, Lee gave in and began singing aloud.

_Hurry up and wait_

_So close, but so far away_

_Everything that you've always dreamed of_

_Close enough for you to taste_

_But you just can't touch_

The child's breathing became level, her eyes coming to half-mast. _'She is so brave.' _Lee thought to herself. Continuing the song as she took the child into her arms and stood. First to the hospital, and then she could find the child's mother. This needed immediate attention.

_You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet_

_Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it_

_You know you can if you get the chance_

_In your face as the door keeps slamming_

_Now you're feeling more and more frustrated_

_And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting_

The child drifted off, despite not having walked three minutes back through the small amount of trees. Shock and pain had pulled her under, poor thing. Lee continued to sing softly to her, just incase she woke up. Lee stepped back out onto the cement of the parking lot, her voice continuing.

_We live and we learn to take_

_One step at a time_

_There's no need to rush_

_It's like learning to fly_

_Or falling in love_

_It's gonna happen and it's_

_Supposed to happen and we_

_Find the reasons why_

_One step at a time_

She blinked, unable to remember anything more of the song. Looking down, she realized that it wasn't necessary; the child was breathing slowly, but heavily, tears tracking stubbornly down her cheeks. But she was asleep, entirely unconscious. Lee gave a deep sigh of relief.

"Will you sing for me?" Lee jumped, upsetting the child enough that she whimpered before settling again. Lee looked behind herself with wide eyes, which became even more wide when she saw the condition the redhead was in.

"What..What _happened _to you?" His upper lip was busted, a thin line of red sliding down the side of his face from his hairline. Despite the first thing he had told her about having difficulty forming bruises, Lee could see one on his right cheek and another on his arm. Cuts were outlined in one too many places for Lee to be comfortable. He was wrecked.

He shook his head, eyes still watching her. He moved forward, arms reaching out. Lee wanted to take a step back, but Gaara was hurt! She had never liked seeing anyone hurt, not even when she was rather upset with them. Surprisingly, he didn't reach for her, but the child, taking the small girl into his own arms. Lee began a protest, she was in much better condition than him, clearly. Gaara gave her a look, silently telling her to say nothing.

"There was a woman asking for her daughter a few blocks from here, the description matches." The eyes were as sharp as a hawk upon her. "Do you trust me to take her safely there?" Lee looked at him confused.

"Why would I not trust you? It is not as if you would hurt her." His shoulders became stiff for a moment before losing tension. He turned around and walked stealthily out to the sidewalk so as not to wake the child.

"You are one of a kind, to have such trust in me." Lee could lie and say that it was the heat that made her face become suddenly so warm…but because she wasn't that much of a liar, it wouldn't work.

"Thank you." There was no answer. Lee followed Gaara out of the parking lot and down the sidewalk, passing by Gaara's bike.

Lee knew when they were close, because frantic shouting could be heard even before turning the corner. There was a woman who's hair matched the wildness of her eyes. She was gripping hard onto the shirt of a man, most likely the father, who was telling her to calm down. The woman tore her eyes away from the man with tears shining in them. When she spotted them, her eyes widened almost comically. She pushed past the man and ran towards them.

"My baby!" She grabbed the child out of Gaara's arms, pulling her flush against her own chest. The girl woke up with an almost scream that was quickly snuffled out as she realized who was holding her.

"M-Mommy! A b-big dogg-gy bit me! H-here!" She put her arm into her mother's eye vision, her eyes large and tear-filled. Looking back at Lee and Gaara, the child's eyes widened again. She jutted out a finger at Lee, causing her to blink in confusion. "Sh-she made it g-go away! A-and she show-showed me her s-scars from when…from when huge doggies b-bit her! Sh-she came out of n-n-nowhere and t-tackled it and it tried to- to bite her face off-ff! She wasn't even s-scared and she sa-said that it-s okay to c-cry when huge doggies bite you! She sings really p-pretty."

Center of attention, Lee's face turned entirely red. The mother looked at her with such fear for what could have happened and gratitude for her that she hadn't let it come to it, that Lee turned her eyes to the ground. "It was nothing, truly! My friend's family owns a dog-breeding company and I help them! All you have to do is assert your dominance!" Trying to make herself really small under the scrutiny, Lee formed a half-bow. "She needs stitches, so she will need to go to the hospital as soon as possible." She turned away, walking quickly passed Gaara. Taking one look at his face, a shiver hurt her heart. He looked _furious_.

"Wait!" Never having been one for rude, Lee stopped and turned slightly around to look at the mother. Tears glistened in her eyes. "Thank you." Lee stared at her for a moment, and then she smiled.

"There is no need, I would do it for anyone." The small family moved away, going to a car and getting in; though Lee didn't see it, she was already back around the corner, walking home. She had completely forgotten the whole reason why she had been in the parking lot in the first place.

"You would do it for anyone." Lee stopped, staring at Gaara with confusion in her eyes. His voice was venomous, and Lee could not understand why.

"Yes." Something flickered across Gaara's face that almost scared her, but she couldn't be sure what the emotion had been before a sadistic expression fell over his face. A smirk twisted up one side of his lips while his eyes regarded her coldly.

"You would do anything to save anyone, wouldn't you?" Lee didn't waste a second.

"Anything."

"Than save me." Shock descended upon Lee's face.

"What?" Gaara walked right up to her, coming so close their chests touched, looking directly into Lee's eyes the whole time.

"Save me."

"…From what?" One pale hand tangled in Lee's hair, bringing her even closer.

"From you." The snarl made Lee blinked in surprise. Why did Gaara need saving from her? Wasn't it the other way around? "What foolish person throws away their own life for a complete stranger? You are reckless, and an idiot. If I ever hear you did something stupid like that again, you do not want to know what I will do to you."

Lee became angry; very angry. She stayed stubbornly still in Gaara's hands as she gave him a piece of her mind. "I am sorry, Gaara, that that upsets you. But that is who I am! I am not going to change myself to please you. I hardly even _know _you! I am not a dog you can train and order around, I am my own person! I will do what I can to help others because I cannot stand their pain! I will do whatever is asked of me if it makes one more person happy. If that is not what you want, than you can just take your eyes off of me and move on! I am not your walking mat!" Huffing slightly as the exertion she just put herself through, Lee returned his glare with her own determined one.

Gaara stared at her closely, and then came in closer. In the most gentle touch she could ever remember having her whole life, Gaara pressed their lips together. She could feel the cut against her own top lip, and Lee let it happen. It was so strange, to be touched so gently by a boy who had such a reputation for being vicious and brutal. Turning away, hand drifting from Lee's hair to her waist, wrapping around sneakily and pulling her with him. "Come home with me."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 minutes later

Lee sighed as she put the slightly red cloth back into the bowl of water, looking at her handy work. There were band-aides every other place, the only one needing a bandage was too high on his head to apply it. Instead, she had applied pressure to it for a good 5 minutes, using the other hand to wipe at the cuts that had longed since stopped bleeding. She smoothed aloe over the bruises and alcohol was put on the miniscule wounds so that they would not get infected. When the head wound stopped bleeding, Lee cleaned it out as well, leaving it at that. The thing that upset her? Gaara still wasn't telling her what happened.

She stared at the silent redhead with annoyance. She could agree to give others their own space, not butt in, but this was serious! Someone had attacked him and actually been able to overpower him for the most part, which Lee thought was somewhat frightening. With all that she had collected about the redhead, no one had ever been able to leave a mark on him. Whoever had gotten to him, had gotten to him good.

She dumped the dirty water down the sink of the bathroom where they were. The house was empty except for them. Lead into the kitchen for ice packs, there had been a sticky note on the refrigerator door stating that the family was out and signed by a temari. Sister? Most likely…

She looked back at Gaara, who had not made one sound since Lee had started cleaning him up, his eyes were relaxed slits, not entirely focused as if he had been experiencing some great pleasure. Maybe it had been? It always made Lee feel warmer when her father looked after her cuts and scratches.

"Now that I am done, I must return home." She had called her father when they had been in the kitchen, saying that she was going to be late coming home. She had, rather stupidly, said who she was with. She had had to hand the phone to Gaara, but she still heard every threat given. Gaara's expression spoke of nothing until he hung up the phone. He had looked at her with amusement before walking upstairs to his own bathroom.

She moved towards the door, about to leave, when her exit was interrupted.

"He had three cousins with him." Lee stopped, but did not look around. "Alone, he is almost too easy to defeat, with three other even more skilled than himself, the fight was unfair from the beginning. I laughed at them and called that pretty boy a coward. I have never turned down a challenge, but I was not going to deal with his sorry attempt of overpowering me. I was walking away, wondering where you were so that I could kiss you again; but then…"

Lee was truly touched, if not slightly embarrassed. Gaara had been looking for her again so that he could assault her? It was actually kind of flattering to know that he turned down a fight and went for her instead. She took a step closer to him when his face became twisted with absolute fury, watching on with concern.

"He began talking about you…it was _sickening _to hear what he had to say; most of them so unbelievable, it pissed me off that he even bothered. In the end, I kicked all of their asses back to the shithole they crawled out of." A niggling suspicion tickled the very edge of her mind. Moving forward, she knelt so that she was level with the sitting man.

"That is not what made you angry." Teal eyes rose from fisted hands to stare into her own two ebony orbs.

"He said you and that dog boy were _lovers._" The last word was a growl and Lee stared at him with shock.

"Kiba and I?…Lovers!?!" She looked at Gaara with horror. "Kiba and I are nearly brother and sister! He welcomed me first when I moved here, and we have been friends ever since! And besides that, Kiba does not even like girls like that!" His eyes narrowed in question; Lee answered earnestly. "Do you know Aubrame, Shino? Kiba and him have been a couple since the sixth grade! They are practically inseparable!"

Gaara leaned back against the toilet seat. His eyes thoughtful. "I see." A light bulb went off in Lee's head.

"That reminds me! You need to apologize to Kiba!" If he had eyebrows, Lee was certain they would have shot up.

"I am apologizing…why?"

"You attacked him."

"He provoked me."

"You are just evil!"

"You are too cute for your own good."

"You are- wait, what? No!" Too late, she was on her knees, pulled forward while Gaara bent down to reach her lips with his own.

This one was not gentle like the first one, but not forceful such as the first. It was hard, but not harsh and warm. Lee felt an abrasion against her upper lip as it rubbed against his cracked one. Her hands fisted in the material of his jeans, her heart thundering in her chest. She closed her eyes tightly and moved into the intimacy. She wasn't quite sure why she did, but she just did. Gaara's one hand became wrapped in her hair again, the other sliding around the side of her breasts to her back to hold her closer. Lee ended up situated between his two legs with Gaara bent over her, the moment going from passionate to heated. Lee tore her mouth away when the need to breathe became pressing. Licking her lips, she tasted copper, Gaara's lip had opened back up.

There were many things that were becoming unexplainable for her. One of these things was why she stared straight into Gaara's eyes as she gently wiped the blood from his lip and then leaned forward to lick it clean. It was when his breath caught that she realized what she was doing. She had just touched him intimately of her own free will. Leaping away from him, she sprinted out the door and down the stairs, leaving behind the last look she had seen on Gaara's face: so very hungry.

She didn't stop running till she was through her front door. Her lungs burned and her legs were unstable, not because of the run, but because of the truth…she wanted Gaara too.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WEDNESDAY

Lee stared out into space, walking to school more by memory than actual thought. Her mind was too busy to think about such things as where to turn or not.

She. Wanted. Gaara…Sabaku no Gaara…who had been trying to rule her life from day one…who was utterly, completely unbearable! Why did this happen to her? Had there been a god who looked down at her in her desperation and thought 'I will give her her wish.' but meant it as a really cruel joke? Sabaku no Gaara who had just tried to tell her to stop being herself the day before! As her father put it: 'He is a youth less creature of disaster!' So why, had she woken up after only three hours of sleep, face red as a perfect apple and shaking? Why did she wonder if his cuts hurt? She did not want to care for that jerk! He hadn't even apologized for hurting Kiba!-…He hadn't apologized…

_"Well, if he wants a fight, he shall receive it! No one pushes around my friends and thinks they can get away with it! If I do not succeed in getting Gaara to apologize, I shall go to the prom with him of my own free will!!" One fist extended in front of her and a blinding white smile on her face, feet braced apart, Lee swore to it with the good girl pose._

…oh no…she was in trouble.

A motor sounded behind her, dragging her back to reality. Because the road she was walking on had no sidewalk, she moved further into the grass. Either way, she could hear the motor purr to a stop, she turned to look- and speak of the devil.

Gaara stared at her from his bike, the band-aides Lee had placed on him last night still there. Did that mean he didn't change them? He was supposed to change them… Reluctantly, Lee looked up to meet his eyes and they just stared for what felt an eternity. Lee finally looked away with a high-powered blush happening, instead looking at Gaara's boots. They were black and shiny, they looked new…There was a squeak of leather and she looked back up. Gaara had leaned back in his seat.

"Get on." Lee looked at him with confusion. If he wanted her to ride with him, why lean backwards over the passenger seat?

She had ridden with him last night when she went with him to his home, grasping lightly at him. Had it not been her first ride, she possibly would have had her hands up in the air; it had been so much fun to move so fast, feeling the wind whip across her face because Gaara had not had helmets with him, which relieved Lee after only the first few minutes. She had laughed almost the whole way to his house…

She shook her head no. "I shall walk, thank you Gaara." She moved to do just that.

"You're going to start avoiding me. Are you intimidated by my now? Because of how I make you _feel_? For someone who is willing to wrestle with a dog that is trying to bite their face off, you are being cowardly."

Lee had never been one for backing off of such an obvious challenge. She turned to him, waiting till he gave her room to get on. She refused to admit to the excitement that danced on her skin. When he leaned backwards again, she still didn't understand.

"Get on."

"I would, but you keep leaning over the passenger seat."

"I want you in front."

She refused to rise to the bait of what was obviously meant to be very perverted; she could tell by the Cheschire grin.

"Isn't that illegal?" She was almost positive it was.

"It goes against safety regulations." He smiled. "But you will love the experience." She frowned, but finally got on the bike, sliding in front. It felt…strange…to feel him so close to her…_behind_ her.

She felt him press closer and turned her head slightly when she felt hot air blow against her ear. "Hold on tight." The whisper was enough to make her shiver as she did as she was told. Her hands held tightly to the handlebars, Gaara's hands coming to rest right over hers. Lee realized that he didn't wear gloves…his hands were very cold. Unable to stop herself, she leaned forward and blew over one of them to try and warm them up again. She did this for a small while with only silence as a sound. She heard another squeak of leather as Gaara leaned forward.

"If we don't leave now, we'll be late for school." She was just unable to stop herself from laughing.

"We are ten minutes from there and it doesn't start for another thirty minutes." What she saw when she turned slightly around was so shocking, she just sat there and stared.

"Does that mean we're going to sit here for another twenty minutes while you warm my hands?"

Unable to answer, she just stared, and knew…that she was a goner. No one would be able to run after seeing a true smile from the usually stoic, if not sadistic, redhead. She was doomed, and she couldn't care less. After another moment, the bike sped off, and Lee's thoughts were stolen away with the wind.

If Gaara's hands had not been over her own, they would have been above her head as if she were on a roller coaster. As it was, she couldn't stop herself from laughing and cheering as if she were a child.

Had she been able to see behind her, she would have seen just what emotions showed on the redhead's face, one of them definitely unfamiliar to himself. The same smile that had graced his face when Lee had been looking at him had became larger at Lee's childish behavior.

Effortlessly, he controlled the bike from his position, even with Lee's hair in his face. He became comfortable against her body, his body accommodating to the cold of the biting wind and the heat of his girl's body. This was as good as it could possibly be, couldn't it?

They stopped at the parking lot in Gaara's usual spot, dismounting the red bike. Lee jumped off with the largest smile and a final laugh. She weaved slightly before righting herself, feeling as if on a peripheral high. In her joy, she turned towards the now again stoic redhead. Throwing her arms around his neck, she held on with total abandon, uncaring of the watching people who had turned and stared. Gaara had never arrived with someone else on his bike.

"Can we do that again? Do we have time?" She gave Gaara puppy eyes, causing him to -not on the outside - groan. She _was_ too cute for her own good.

"I will pick you up after school." He watched with desperate attention to the happiness that lit her eyes like wildfire. She laughed again before releasing Gaara…for the most part. She kept hold of his hand as _she_ dragged _him_ for once.

They got to the front door of the school before Lee's euphoria wore out. She released Gaara's hand with a blush…or would have if Gaara had released her in turn. When he lowered his head, Lee prepared herself for another kiss. But, when he only pressed their lips together, Lee opened her eyes in confusion. He looked focused on something…

"Do you have a dress yet?" Which brought Lee fully back down to earth. Well, there was no more fighting it.

"Well…no, not really. Tenten and I were going to go this Thursday…" The words '_if I found a date'_ floated in her head like a terrible teaser. Gaara only nodded.

"White."

Lee's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "White?" Gaara nodded again. He turned and went down the hall opposite that Lee had to go, watching after him curiously. …White…She looked down at her usual green…well everything: sweat pants and a T-shirt, even her shoes. She couldn't help that green was her favorite color.

She walked half-way down the hall before she stopped suddenly. Wait a minute! She wasn't supposed to be enjoying this!…but than again…it was all his fault for letting her ride shotgun.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lee still laughed at herself, causing some people wandering the halls to give her weird looks. Yep, it had certainly been his smile that had won her over.


	5. Thurday, Friday

**What If ~ Chapter 5**

**---------------------------------------------------------------THURSDAY**

"**Lee."**

'_**White, white…nothing here is what I am looking for…"**_

"**Lee."**

'_**oh gods, this dress is so short…would the school even let me in if I wore this?'**_

"**Lee!"**

'_**This one is even shorter than the other one!'**_

***smack***

"Ow! Tenten, what was that for?" Lee rubbed at the back of her head, watching Tenten through one eye as she grimaced. A thigh-length, spaghetti strapped, white dress held delicately in the other hand. Tenten stood beside her, hands on hips as she gave her a 'pay attention next time' glare. She held another dress in front of her.

"How about this one?" Tenten held it against Lee, turning her this way and that to see for herself before looking back at Lee questioningly.

Lee gave it her best critical eye; something was…off about the dress. She shook her head regrettably. Tenten huffed and put the dress back, eyeing the long line of prom dresses, the ones in red and green catching her the eye the most, despite Lee telling her that she was looking at only the ones that were white.

This was the fifth boutique they had been to in the past four hours. Lee had known that it would be difficult to find the perfect dress, but no one had told her it would be _this_ difficult. Beside her, Tenten was becoming irritated at how little success Lee had been having. It was the last boutique they could look through before they had to turn back home, seeing as, if they went any further, they would be _two _towns over from where they had begun.

It was just amazingly difficult to find what Lee was looking for! Tenten was following Lee around, not planning on going herself despite all of Lee's pleading. It wasn't Lee's fault that none of these fit what she was looking for! They were either too classy, too expansive, short, long, too _revealing_, too classic; there was something wrong with every dress that came close to what Lee was thinking of…even though she didn't honestly know what she was thinking about. It wasn't an image, it was just a _feeling_: she would know what she was looking for once she found it.

Tenten had begun tapping her foot as she looked at each dress. Something that would suit Lee… She looked out of the boutique window, irritated. For a moment, she just stood there, staring; mentally hitting herself over the head. How had she missed _that_? Without a word, she walked away from the fretting Lee, touching the fabric and hooking her finger around the price tag to read it. It was _too _perfect. Where was the guy that was going to suddenly jump out of nowhere and destroy their happiness? No where, as far as Tenten could tell. She ku-kuued as she called her friend over.

"Oh, Lee…" She watched as Lee walked over and as her eyes glazed over with disbelief and awe. Her friend made a grab for the price tag and looked at the price herself. Tenten snickered as the joy spread over her face. "Was this what you were looking for?"

Lee smiled triumphantly, hugging Tenten hard as she did a happy dance in her own head. "Yes, Tenten; this was _exactly_ what I was looking for!" She looked back to the dress with happiness, freeing Tenten so she could call the assistant over to take the dress off the rack and so they could buy it. This was _so_ what Lee had been looking for…even if it was just as short as the dress she had just been looking at.

----------------------------------------------------------FRIDAY

"WHOOO!!!" Now Lee _did_ have her hands over her head, cheering as the bike sped around the corner street. Cold wind hit her in the face and cooled her through her shirt even as she was almost sweating because of the heat she was feeling for the boy behind her. "Faster!" The bike obediently sped up; a roar erupting from the engine as it took another sharp turn. Lee's heart thumped against her chest with every inch they moved forward; causing her to be somewhere close to passing out from the excitement dancing over her. Two arms held her caged safely on the bike, allowing her the freedom to act as she wanted. A chin was jutting into her shoulder, cold breath breathing over her collarbone, just barely noticeable over the wind that was beating her. Lee laughed loudly, enjoying the _speed_.

All too soon, they were slowing down and turning into the school parking lot; as Lee had learned over the past two days (today being the third), this was Gaara's spot, and only someone with a death wish parked there aside from him. He stopped the bike there and turned off the engine. For a moment, Lee just sat there, breathing heavily as she got over the adrenaline rush. Gaara waited patiently behind her for a few minutes before speaking.

"Can you stand now?" Lee could clearly hear the hidden amusement in his voice.

Turning back to him, he looked like he always did when facing off with anyone; like it just did not matter. A whole week after first having been molested by him, Lee could say that she had learned where to look to see through the ice. She watched the corner of his lips and how the light hit his eyes to know how he felt. She had always been gifted like that, to know exactly what others felt when they felt it. Watching his lips, of course, could be misinterpreted…

A smirk twisted up the corners of those lips and his expression became downright lewd. He leaned forward until their lips _almost _touched. That jerk, now that she wasn't fighting him, he teased her. Every time she wanted to tell him to stop _doing _that, the image of his smile popped into her head, rendering her helpless against him.

"Or are you waiting for something?" His tongue flicked out, touching quickly to her lips, before there was no contact again.

Lee 'eeped', squirming till she was free of him. When her feet touched ground, she almost tripped, not quite used to being on solid, unmoving ground again. Gaara wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her steady, snickering under his breath. She glared at him for a moment, before turning stubbornly aside. If he wanted to be mean, she would just ignore him…which never worked against the redhead, as Lee had very quickly learned yesterday, which had caused her father to faint yesterday (long story short, Gaara was being _Gaara_, and Father had been in too much denial for himself to handle).

She was pressed flat against him as he stood up suddenly, pulling her against him. She shivered as a tongue trailed up the column of her throat. He may blend into the background when he wanted to, but he would be _damned_ if he was ignored when he wanted to be noticed. Gaara's eyes lit with enjoyment as his girl went tense against her. He had been right, she was definitely not _plain_; she was _spicy. _

The first bell rang and Lee made a mad dash for it. Making a quick goodbye over her shoulder without turning around.

"See you later, Gaara!" Because no one could claim to being faster than Lee, she made it to class before the first period even took attendance. She ignored all snickers about her blush or what they had seen. She sat down, shaky because she could not wait to see him after school.

Halfway through class, it occurred to her that Gaara had not even asked her about her dress. She stared blankly down at the notes she had been writing; was that _normal_ for a guy to not be naturally curious about what their date was wearing to the dance? He had not even looked as if he wished to ask anything. Even last night, after she had came back from looking for the blood thing, he had asked no questions as he had, with many shocks to her father, picked her up and dragged her out of her own house. She had heard her father screaming for them to come back for 2 blocks…even if it had been worth it; the full moon had been so beautiful, and she had never known about that rooftop. That had been such a gentle kiss…

"- Lee?"

Lee blinked, looking up at the teacher. She was pointing to a problem on the board, her eyes deadly serious as if she _knew_ Lee hadn't been paying attention. People around her began to snicker, again, at her confused face and flushed face. "Umm…" Doing some quick math in her head, she gave a random answer. "5?" The other students burst out laughing, which reminded Lee that she was in English. Math wasn't until third period. The teacher tsked before asking someone else who gave the correct answer. Lee hid behind her literature book for the rest of the period, feeling painfully stupid.

-------------------------------------------------------------LUNCH PERIOD

"He's up to something." Lee frowned at Kiba, who was eating a hamburger even as he spoke. Shino's eyebrows were drawn together in a glare as he frowned too. Kiba had, and will always eat like the dogs he loves with his life. If only Shino's elegance would rub off on him…but Lee was frowning for a different reason.

"How do you get that? Just because he doesn't ask what she's wearing to the prom doesn't mean that he's up to something." Tenten almost flew to Lee's rescue, chewing on her pizza. Lee looked at her hopefully, just to have that hope bite her hard. "But, yes, I think he's up to something too."

"Why is it such a big deal? Just because he did not ask does not mean that something bad is going to happen!" Lee was almost desperate to have them believe that. Honestly, she could believe that Gaara would not ask; it was something that would just not matter to him. It was a _dress_, as much trouble as she had gone through looking for it, if she was not even allowed to tell him what it looked like, why bother to ask in the first place?

Kiba suddenly slapped his hand on the table, his face lighting up as a thought came to him. Shino scowled at his boyfriend and Tenten looked at him with confusion. What was that about?

"The prom is _tomorrow_!" His proclamation was met with two blank gazes and a raised eyebrow from his lover.

"Yes, we know…and you are telling us…why?" Tenten urged. Kiba grinned wolfishly.

"I heard that Sasuke broke up with the pink bitch and has a new date for tomorrow. And it ain't Ino! Apparently, we're all gonna learn about the mystery girl at the dance tomorrow."

Lee frowned, tipping her head slightly to the side as she thought about that. "Kiba…what does that have to do with…well, anything?" She felt she had to ask.

"It stopped us from talkin' about your lover boy, didn't it?" Lee blushed fiery red.

"He is **not** my lover boy!" She fiddled with the material of her sweat pants, not meeting any of the watchful eyes. "We are… dating. Umm… he is my boyfriend, but we are **not **lovers." Lee said with total conviction, almost able to believe herself. Her efforts earned a drawl expression from Kiba.

"Yeah…right, Pup. So, all the people in the parking lot made up the same story? They all just happened to have the same twisted imagination? People are just lovin' the bad boy/ good girl thing you two have goin' on." Kiba laughed at Lee's chocked expression. He stopped abruptly and pouted at his boyfriend, rubbing at the back of his head where Shino had just hit him by leaning over the table with the elegance of an Aubrame. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot." Shino stated matter-of-factly, leaning back into his seat again, eating his food, ignoring the glare the answer received him. After carefully swallowing, he worked to clean the mess his lover had made of the situation. "You should be more careful of where you interact with him; or word will get back to your father, and us." He tilted his head in a caring way. "We do not want to see you hurt…or have Kiba back in the nurse's office trying to hurt him." There was a loud 'Hey!' from the offended dog lover.

Lee stared at Shino with a pained expression. He was not as bad as they all believed him…and did people honestly believe that they were already _lovers_? Lee flushed, that was unbelievable. As everyone was laughing at her expression, Lee shrank into her seat. They couldn't _keep_ making fun of her, could they? Sometime close to the end of lunch, a little after the laughter abated, Kiba asked the question.

"So, what does your dress look like?" Lee smiled softly at the thought of the dress she and Tenten had found.

"It is beautiful." Gazing absentmindedly into the background, she giggled. It had been the perfect buy. Kiba chuckled at Lee's joy.

"I bet, you look like you won the lottery with it."

"Wait till you see it! It's as if she did win the lottery. Damn, we both knew when we found it for her, it was just that amazing!" Tenten leaned forward, about to go into greater detail, when she stopped. Leaning back in her seat, she glared at the guy coming closer.

Lee, who was watching Tenten, thought that it was Gaara. Tenten always got the sour expression on her face where Gaara was concerned; even if she didn't complain as loudly about it now then before. Turning around, already with a serious look on her face because Gaara was supposed to be in his class right now, was not met with Gaara…but Neji Hyuuga. Across the table sitting beside Tenten, Kiba growled; he never had understood why Tenten went out with that bastard. Beside Lee, Shino sighed; Kiba and Neji could be seen at each other's throats often. It was something that had happened. At least he would be here to restrain Kiba this time…

Neji, as always, looked like a smug jerk. Lee had once tried to be his friend, wanting him to accept her as another human being. That plan had ultimately failed, not even hours of having introduced herself in fifth grade. Always, he treated her like garbage, and that got annoying after a little while! Especially since she hardly spoke to him now. Every word she had ever spoken to him in the past few years had been to give him a message from Tenten or defend one of her friends from his verbal abuse. He was just too…proud. Always, much too proud. When he had first asked Tenten out, Lee had been terrified that he only planned on using her; two years later, she was still waiting for that day. Yes, everyone had a soft spot where others could crawl through, but this man was just _evil_.

"Tenten, did you pick out your dress for tomorrow?" Lee silently cheered her friend on as she got a hard look on her face and scowled at Neji.

"And you need to know…why?" If Lee had been anyone else, she would have laughed at the shocked look on Neji's face. But she was Lee, so she was kind enough to not point it out. Kiba was another story, and began crowing at the expression.

"My cousin said that you went out for a prom dress yesterday, who would you be going with if not me?"

Tenten scowled and Lee tried her hardest to urge her friend on without talking. This, of course, meant that Lee had both hands clenched in front of her and was staring at her friend with earnest eyes, mouthing 'you can do it' over and over. She knew Tenten wasn't going to the dance, no matter how much she had plead, Tenten had been unmovable. But she was not going to tell Neji that!

"Do you want to say something?" Lee stopped the 'subtle' cheering, turning slowly to the glaring hyuuga. He stared down at her with anger, a scowl curling his lip. Lee smiled guiltily, rubbing the back of her head.

"No, not that I can think of."

"Good." Neji turned away from her, looking back at Tenten who was staring at him with a 'who the _hell_ do you think you are?' glare. "I would hate to waste my time with a whore like you."

The silence that descended on the table was deafening, only rivaled by the silence that seemed to spread through out the whole lunch room; as if they _knew _that someone was about to die. Lee felt the static on the back of her neck saying so. This…could only get worse, couldn't it? Tenten nearly jumped out of her seat at him, Kiba not to far behind her; both of them _pissed _at him for saying such a thing. Lee looked at him, pale with the conviction.

"You bastard! How dare you say something like that about Lee!" Someone from a nearby table was stupid enough, but strong enough to get away with it, grabbed the flying Tenten and stopped her from ripping the lilac-eyed devil apart. Shino had to tackle his lover, keeping him away from the smirking man. Lee just sat there, horrified.

"What did you just call me?" The harsh whisper escaped Lee, not even sounding like her.

She had had a lot of bad names directed at her; it was something she had grown tough too, but she had never heard _that_ one before. No one had ever had grounds in which to call her that. It was…so horrifically foreign to be called something like that. Neji chuckled, looking down at Lee as if she were a dying animal he was poking at.

"What? Did you think that you would ever last with Sabaku no Gaara?" He leaned forward so that he was in Lee's personal space, purposefully unnerving the hurt girl. "He can have anyone in this school, even I know that. The most beautiful women here are willing to leave their own boyfriends in the dust for a chance with him; you are nothing more than a pity fuck." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, that is if he _feels_ pity. He hates innocence, so that may be what is happening. Destroying you from the inside out. Your father is a difficult man to get by, maybe he wanted to see if he could conquer you? He is part of a wealthy family and is next to accept inheritance should his father die, maybe he just wants a change of pace from the pricey women throwing themselves at him…"

One hand on his chin, the other planted on his hip, Neji studied the pale, shocked girl staring blankly ahead. He had always known just how pitifully low Lee's self-esteem was. He had known her for _years_. If he wanted to get to Gaara, he was going to have to attack his girl before he realized that he was only experiencing puppy love and dropped the poor creature like so much shit. People like Gaara could never stay with someone for long. But for now, while he believed that he cared for another, he was going to have to dive in and sink in. If he couldn't beat Gaara's body, then he was going to break his heart.

To make the show better, he put on an understanding expression. "Have you even asked him for anything? I have known you for years, I bet you have not accepted a penny from him…but I do not think he offered either, did he? Of course he had asked nothing of you; there is nothing that you can give him that he does not already have."

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP! Shino, why the hell won't you let me up?! Are you going to keep me down while he keeps talking shit?" Kiba fought against his unsteady lover; he did not want this to continue, but should Kiba be in one more fight, he would be expelled. He knew that Lee understood, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to look her in the face once this was over.

Tenten, on the other hand, was livid enough that she bit the man holding her. With a curse, he let her loose, screaming about crazy bitches and rabies. Tenten could hardly care less as she drove a fist straight into her ex-lover's face. Neji flew three feet away from where he had originally been. Sitting up, he rubbed at the side of his face, his lip turned up in a snarl against Tenten.

"You bitch. This is going to bruise." Tenten looked at him with hatred.

"Sorry for your luck, pretty boy. Gods, what the _hell_ did I see in you!? You are such a jackass! Get the hell out of here!" Tenten took a threatening step towards Neji, who did nothing but sit there and watch.

Neji was a very smart man, not a coward. He weighed the options of leaving so as to fight another day; or just sit back and watch the show. Honestly, he could do both at the same time. But what of his exit?…

There was a squeak of tennis shoes and then a green blur dashed out of the cafeteria. Tenten snapped around to watch it's retreat. Kiba wrestled himself away from his lover, Shino watching the open door where the green blur had disappeared through.

"Lee!" Kiba ran after her, shocked at her actions. Since when had Lee ever ran away?

Shino did not follow them; he did not have the bond with Lee that Kiba had, he would only hinder the healing process. Instead, he went in search of the principal, despite Neji having done no domestic violence, it would be best if he got there first to explain the situation instead of allowing another to care for it and end in Tenten's suspension. Tenten just stared at her friends retreating to each do their respective duties. She looked to glare at Neji, but he had stood up and sashayed out of the door, so damn _proud_ of himself. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Lee was off somewhere, Kiba was following after her, she had an idea where Shino was going, but not much of one…there was only one thing left to do. Tell the offending party what was said about them. Tenten's hands clenched as she thought about actually confronting the redhead. He sure as hell better know nothing about this. Or there was going to be another reason for calling him 'red'.

----------------------------------------------------------------WE'RE WITH LEE

'_Run, just run; it does not matter why, it does not matter where. It does not matter from what, only that I feel like I am flying away.' _Lee became aware of the burning in her lungs before it occurred to her that she wasn't at school anymore. For a moment, she just stared at the rooftop she was standing on, slightly blurry for some reason. Wiping furiously at her eyes, she learned that she was crying. Her legs ached, that meant that she must have ran farther than seven miles…funny, she didn't remember running.

Of course, she could remember what Neji had said, and she hated how much it hurt. It couldn't be true, could it? Would Gaara honestly smile like that for anyone? Then again, how much had she known about Gaara before he stole into her life? Oh gods, she couldn't even say that she put up an actual fight! Four days after meeting him, and she was more than happy to make out with him; was she that _easy_? But…no, Neji was good at manipulating people! She had to remember that; if she didn't…she would have more embarrassing moments such as that. Everyone must be so worried about her…no matter how bad things have ever became, she had never ran away. In all honesty, she could not even remember _running_. It was…well, it wasn't blank, but it had been a defense mechanism. Always, when ever she had been deeply upset, she ran till she couldn't go another step. If she could not even remember it, then she must be very deeply upset…but she already knew that.

Sniffing, agitated by showing a weakness, she looked around herself. A rooftop? Why was she here….

'"_Are we even allowed to be here?" The question was said in a hushed voice, eyes wide as the stared at the redhead instead of the sky as he had suggested she do. He shook his head no. Eyes fixed on the moon shining down on them._

"_But no one watches this building either. It has been abandoned for years longer than I have cared to count. I found it when I was looking for a spot far enough away from town that I could see the stars better. It was by luck that I found this place." Lee nodded, turning her head to look at the moon too. As much as she did not want to be here if they were not even allowed to be here, she may as well remain calm about it. It was not as if she had not expected it._

"_It's beautiful." Lee watched the moon, awed by how close and bright is seemed. As far away from the lights as they were, it was amazing. There was a shift beside her, warmth captured her one hand and pulled her closer to a living heater. She looked to Gaara questioningly; was he cold? He did not feel like it. As if he could read her mind (which she most definitely could believe), he shook his head. _

"_You're shivering." Lee blinked in surprise; now that it was brought to her attention, it occurred to her that, yes, she was trembling slightly. It was a very cold night… _

_She snuggled against Gaara's side, content to be warm and awed at the same time. After only a little time, she was distracted by her moving pillow. As his chest went up and down with each breath, so did her head. After a while, she just laughed. This was distracting her, how was she supposed to be capturing the image of the moon in her head if she could feel his chest move with each breath and hear his heartbeat against her ear. So amazingly distracting…her living pillow stopped for a moment before continuing again. Lee knew he was watching her now. She turned toward him and smiled teasingly, not even aware of it._

"_You are the most uncomfortable pillow I have ever had. I would be too busy listening to you breathe to remember to sleep." And it was true; once she was out, there was no waking her. But, before hand, anything could stop her from sleeping. This was more than enough to disrupt her train of thought. _

_He stared down at her with a blank look. Gripping her gently by the back of her head, he pulled her up so that they were level. Ever so lightly, so very warm, his lips brushed against hers, gently skimming her lips before finally pressing against them. Lee sighed into his mouth, eyes closing slowly as she just melted. She was too comfortable, too warm, to fight him or even blush. They separated after only a moment, Lee feeling dazed as Gaara looked down at her with something completely different from the heat he usually stared at her with. _

"_If you do not like listening to me breathe-" He began to move away, removing his arm from around Lee as he looked away regrettably. "-, then I will let you go."_

_He didn't get at all far, Lee clung to him like a child clings to a life-sized teddy bear; wrapping her whole body around him so he could find no escape, she shoved her face into his neck, snickering at the shudder that came from the contact of her cold nose to his warm skin. _

"_No, I am just fine with how we are." The arm was wrapped back around her, a chin resting on top of her head._

"_I thought so."'_

Lee was sitting down at the same exact spot they had lied the night before, her eyes glassy as she stared at the evening sky. School must have been over hours ago. She felt stupid for how she had taken care of the situation. She had let Neji get beneath her skin, and she was annoyed with herself for allowing that. Had she had the guts, she would have walked right back into school and confronted him, tell him that he was a liar and that she believed nothing he said. Would Gaara ever be so gentle and…well, _teasing _with any of the girls? Maybe, but Lee didn't believe that. Something about this seemed _new_ to him, as if he had never been in a relationship either and was playing it out of the book. The change from molesting her to caring for her had been abrupt…

"Had I known that you remembered how to get here, this would have been the first place I tried." Lee went tense as the stoic voice cut through the silence.

She turned and looked at him, her eyes still slightly red from all the tears she cried. Instantly, Gaara's face lost some of its' hardness, the corner of his lips turning down ever so slightly. He walked forward and knelt beside her, hand coming up to rub at the tear stains on her cheeks. The corner of his lips turned down more as he felt how icy her skin was.

"You have been out here ever since running out of the school, haven't you?" It wasn't actually a question, Gaara knew that was the answer, but it was good to see if he could get a reaction from her.

Lee nodded, eyes closing slightly as she leaned into the touch. But only for a moment, then she turned away; scrubbing at her face with her own hands. She looked at Gaara out of the corner of her eye, watching as his face went hard again. He moved away from her and Lee could understand why. Someone as tough as Gaara wouldn't want someone who literally _ran_ from danger and went into hiding. Even she was disgusted with herself.

"Your friend went looking for me. She did not even finish telling me what had happened before I was already on my way to find you." He looked at her with cold eyes. "You ran because you believed him." He looked up at the sky, furious with himself and her. No one believed in him, _no one_. "You honestly think that I could pity fuck you." He looked down at the guilty girl and almost snarled, _hating_ how she didn't do anything to defend herself. "Well, shit; you must know me better than I do. I didn't know that I could lie to someone else." He leaned down so that he was level with her again, face twisted in anger. "I fuck with people, not with their _minds_. I don't _play_ with other's emotions. You're just as bad as Neji for believing that _bullshit_."

Lee watched as he vented. She never had been one for defending herself verbally; she defended her friends, but she always tried her hardest to ignore others when they tried to hurt her emotionally. Being compared to Neji may have hurt most though… Watching as he just stood there, staring at the barely visible moon with agitation, Lee spoke up; voice scratchy from the long run and the tears.

"For a little while…it was just more believable than you caring for me. And then I remembered last night, looking up at the moon." She turned her head to look at said object, almost hidden by the array of colors following the sunset. "You are as new to this as I am; you would not play games, you would go straight for the point in the middle." She rubbed at her arms, it was so cold lately. "After remembering that, I did not return because I was so ashamed by how I ran away." She turned away from both the moon and him, looking at the dirt and gravel that covered the floor. "I cannot believe how weak I acted; I have never ran away. To let him know that he had upset me…but it was so easy to believe it!…but that is not an excuse, is it? I should have thought about what you would really do than _assume_. She emitted a watery chuckle. "Assuming destroys relationships, does it not?" She tried to stand on legs that had long since fallen asleep. Stumbling at first, she refused to look at him. "I…understand-" She swallowed hard. "-if you hate me now."

She tried her hardest to walk past him without showing him the pain she felt. As she was right beside him, she was so proud of herself for not starting to cry again; except her retreat was very rudely interrupted. Not two steps passed him, she was tripped, her foot catching on something she knew had not been there a moment ago. Closing her eyes, she expected to meet the floor with her face, but it didn't happen. On her knees, her arms were held behind herself as her descent was stopped, and for a moment, she didn't understand. And then her eyes widened and her mouth parted in shock. She began shaking, turning around to look at Gaara. He watched her with somber eyes.

"Be careful."

Lee stared for a moment, a smile spreading across her face, before speaking. "Man, You are _attractive_."

Instead of blinking in surprise as the first time, he smirked. Leaning down, he touched lips with her, beginning to slowly devour her, before pulling away for air.

"I know."

Now Lee laughed, tears trekking down her face. Instead of running such as the first time, she leaned into him, smiling as she reconnected their lips. This kiss infinitely more gentle, just as she liked it. When they parted from that kiss, Lee looked into Gaara's heavy lidded eyes and smiled.

"I know that you know."

Taking his coat off and wrapping it around her, he picked her up and left the building, his girl safely tucked into his chest where she listened to his heartbeat. He took the longest roads he knew of on the way back to her house. She sat in the front, arms above her head as she cheered and shouted, just as it was meant to be.

Arriving at her front door, Gaara kept the engine running. As much as he enjoyed causing her dad pain, now may not be the best night to do so. Leaning over for a quick kiss, he was ready to leave, but the door slammed open…always, that door had to _slam_ open whenever he was in the premises. It was as if the guy had a 'the man molesting my daughter is near!' sensor. Gaara almost growled as he looked at the tall, buff man. He did not move from his perch as Lee's father moved forward. Lee moved between them, not really wanting to see them fight tonight either.

She looked up at her father with earnest eyes. _'Please, do not fight tonight…any other night is just fine…but not tonight.'_

Gai looked down at his only child with a grave expression. She had never stood against him before. Lifting a hand, he placed it on her head and ruffled her hair. Moving the same arm, he pulled her into a hug. He never wanted her to go missing like that again. No parent should have to go through that…he looked down at his little lotus, amazed by just how much she had grown. Just yesterday, had she not learned how to finally tie her shoes? Now she was being stolen from him…she was even wearing his jacket.

She leaned away from him to look up at his face, her eyes looking for an answer to a question that Gai knew was being asked. Reaching behind her for the redhead, she went tense; her eyes pleading. The man stealing his daughter made no move to either defend himself or stop the advance. Gai's hand rested on short, red strands of hair, ruffling them with just as much affection as he had his daughter's. He smiled widely.

"YOSH! You may not be a disastrous brat after all. Clearly, you have won the heart of my daughter!" He gave a hearty laugh at the sour expression the attention received him before taking on a serious face again. "You shall be on time to pick her up tomorrow, am I right? I have seen her dress, and I am sure that you do not want to be late." He was held tightly as his daughter clung onto him, a smile on her face as she almost shouted with joy.

Gaara watched the affection between them; refusing to admit that the warm hand petting him did make him feel part of the embrace. When she spun around suddenly, crashing her lips to his, he wasn't about to argue. There was an intense moment where he could feel her father grow impatient instantly. Their lips separated when Lee was dragged away, watching after her heatedly. He chuckled at the glare he was receiving over her head; the fatherly love hadn't lasted long, had it?

"STOP MOLESTING MY DAUGHTER!! YOU HAVE POLLUTED HER MIND!" At the door, he turned back around, staring at the smile he had never before seen on his daughter's face as she waved excitedly at the hooligan that stole her away. He looked back to the redhead that had the slightest smile on his face. On second thought…"REMEMBER! DO NOT BE LATE, OR I SHALL HUNT YOU DOWN AND BREAK YOUR LEGS!!"

He laughed as all the redhead did was snort, riding away. His beautiful lotus watched after him for a moment before moving into the house before him, a goofy smile on her face. Yes, Lee was no longer just his, she belonged to another man now too…


	6. Saturday, part one

What If ~ Chapter 6

Authors notes: I have always wanted to do one of these, but could never figure out how :3 so proud of myself. So anyway, this is NOT the prom chapter; wait one more. However, everyone was telling me that Gaara should kick Neji's ass and I was trying to do it (not only to please them, but because I would hate having a story that is 6 chapters; I have an unexplainable weariness of the number 6) and just completely failed. Finally, I had a girl from say: Lee should kick his ass. O.o Chapter 6 came right up to me and slapped me. It called me a few bad names for not seeing it earlier too, but that's another story. Please enjoy!

Laughter rang out throughout the park. Two teenage girls on the swing set were nearly bent over forward trying to keep from falling off of their mounts. Clearly, the raven-haired girl was trying _not_ to laugh, but the brunette had had a point.

"That was not what it was like Tenten!" Lee stopped for a moment to try and stifle her next snort; she should not be laughing! Tenten looked at her with teasing brown eyes.

"Oh, so what was it like?" Tenten, now almost under control, began to swing the swing back and forth, gaining momentum. "I mean, only your dad would stand guard at the front of your house for three hours to make sure that your boyfriend isn't coming back." Lee blushed, knowing it was true, but not willing to admit it.

"He is very old-fashioned." She said with total conviction. Tenten rolled her eyes and snickered.

"Yeah, because every dad acts like the day of the prom is like the wedding day. I was at your house when he started screaming at Gaara!" Tenten drew her eyebrows together, assuming a seriously furious look, almost exactly how Lee's father had looked this morning when Gaara had came to take them to their sky spot until it was time for them to get dressed for the prom. "IT IS BAD, UNYOUTHFUL LUCK TO SEE YOUR DATE BEFORE THE PROM! I DO NOT CARE IF SHE IS NOT DRESSED FOR THE PROM YET! _SHE SHALL FOLLOW TRADITION!!_ LEAVE YOU HOOLIGAN! RETURN WHEN IT IS TIME TO PICK HER UP!"

Lee was laughing so hard, she did fall off the back of the swing. When She landed, she gave an 'oof' of misplaced air before starting up all over again. That was _exactly_ what her father had said. From where she had been locked up in her room (_literally_, locked up; it was like some princess story. Her father was _not_ going to let her out till he was sure that Gaara would not steal her away…again) with Tenten keeping her company, they had heard everything. She pointed a finger at Tenten anyway, wanting to fight for her cause…of which she was not sure…but she would figure it out!

A roar echoed through the small park; parents who had been watching the children and the spectacle the two girls looked over to the small brick street leading through the small park. Lee and Tenten looked as well; Lee's eyes lit up; waving her hand wildly over her head, she called out to the rider coming closer.

"Gaara! Over here!" She laughed as the bike turned into a parking spot and she met green-blue eyes over the yards separating them. She looked at him daringly; her father had been right last night: Gaara was a very _bad_ influence on her. But that didn't mean that she was going to be bad too, it just meant that she was going to be a handful to handle before long…not that Gaara would mind, she was sure. "Father is going to maim you if he learns that you hunted me down." She stood up and glomped the redhead as soon as he stepped foot on the lawn, almost sending them to the ground, but not quite. "And you should know that I keep no secrets from my father."

Tenten looked on with a sour expression; yes, she loved Lee like a sister. Yes, she had some respect for Gaara. No, she could not handle this mushy crap going on between them…even if it was amazingly cute. No! Vanquish thy girly thoughts! Tenten shook her head vigorously, trying to rid herself of the 'awww' feeling. Despite her past with Neji, she didn't think that Gaara and Lee's love would fail; Lee was just too unforgettable for someone to just walk all over her and then walk _away_. If Gaara _did_ walk away, Tenten would _finally _be allowed to kick his ass. So, she just patiently waited on the swing set for the two love birds to get over the romance and realize that parents were looking at them with both joy (most likely remembering their own romances or wishing they had one) and disgust (they're the bastards that are muttering cruel things and covering their children's eyes as they led them away). She watched as Gaara smirked into her best friend's neck and went deadly tense; had that been his _tongue_ she had just seen on Lee's skin? From where she was, she could see Lee shudder and then pull away, blushing the shade of Gaara's hair. Fisting her hand, she brought it to Gaara's shoulder.

"There are _children_ watching, Gaara! Do not think I will let you get away with sullying their minds!" Gaara grimaced at Lee; Tenten snickered at his pained expression.

"You sound like your father." Regardless, he walked beside her back to where Tenten was waiting, obediently keeping his distance; which was unnerving Lee if that expression of paranoia on her face was anything to go by. Lee slowed down so that she was walking behind the redhead, not trusting him behind her. Because of this action, Gaara reached Lee's swing before she did. Because there were only three swings on this set, and the third one a baby seat, meant to harness infants in, Tenten knew before Lee did that she had made a drastic mistake.

Gaara, sitting on the swing, looked up at Lee with a stoic expression, Lee looking down at him in disbelief. "Sit." The look of disbelief turned to horror, throwing her hands in front of herself as if in defense, Lee took a step back in retreat. Tenten, despite not liking where this was going, burst out laughing. She had _so_ seen that coming. Lee flung her head from side to side; meeting other horrified and amused gazes of mothers and grandparents, no help from the fathers because they were laughing hard. She turned back to her boyfriend.

"You are joking, right?" When Gaara didn't even blink, but just continued to stare up at her waiting, Lee's mouth opened in pure horror. "Gaara, there are _children watching_! This is a _playground_! I am not sitting on your _lap_, I know that your mind is not where it _should _be, and do not even DARE-!" The hand thrown in front of herself against the perverted redhead was used to trip her forward; falling, she had _no_ idea how she ended right side up on his lap instead of with her knees meeting the sand covered floor and her head with…inappropriate places. But there, somehow, she sat safely on top of the pale man, her hands gripping the metal links of the chains holding the swing up. She turned and glared at her giggling friend, her face flushed red by embarrassment. "I do not like you Tenten. I do not like you at _all_."

More parents, who did not believe in teenage love were abandoning the play area with grumpy looks on their faces. Others watched wearily to make sure that nothing bad happened that could mentally scar their children for life, and others just laughed; pointing at the couple and telling their kids that that's what they would be doing someday. Predictably, they made 'ew' faces and steered clear of the swing set, not wanting to catch cooties from the lovey dovey people.

Watching on, Tenten could admit that she was a little jealous; not because Lee had Gaara, but because Lee had been able to bring out the good in him. What, they had only known each other…a week now? In the two years she had known Neji, giving him everything she had to give of herself, she had _never_ been able to reach past the cold exterior or get him to actually _care_. Always, he had been mean to her friends and uncaring of her family. He always made lewd remarks and had beaten at Tenten's self-esteem because he was a 'prodigy'. Finally breaking up with him had been the best thing she had ever done; but she could admit that, Lee's success in the light of her own failure, hurt like hell. _'He better not hurt her, or Gai and I both are going to kick his ass straight to hell.'_

In the shadow of the roar of Gaara's motorcycle, the purr of a well-priced car was _way_ out of place in the domestic settings. Tenten watched the car pull up right beside said bike, a grimace on her face as she began swinging the swing softly. 'Speak of the devil and he will appear…' She looked over at Gaara and Lee; both of them eyeing the car. Lee had been with Tenten long enough to know who's car it was, and was watching it with a determination Tenten knew was going to be bad for the smug bastard. Apparently, Gaara knew who it belonged to too. His eyes became razor sharp and as cold as ice; twin, pale arms were securely wrapped around her friend's waist in a protective manner as he set his chin down on Lee's shoulder, watching with an air of uncaring but deadly patience.

"Neji, please don't! You have caused enough trouble! Neji!" A mousy looking girl with lilac eyes the same as the pale, long-haired boy who had stepped out of the driver's seat was pleading with said boy, her eyes filled with pain and hurt. Said boy looked at the small woman with a sneer.

"Hinata, just wait in the vehicle." He stepped onto the grass, walking straight towards the three teenagers. "I can handle this without your assistance, I am sure that you would not like to bloody your pretty little hands." He didn't turn around to look at the stricken girl.

From where Lee sat, everything in her became red _hot_. This bully was _not_ going to keep getting away with this! She turned to the few mothers left, most of them having left because they felt indecent exposure was going on. She smiled reassuringly at them, not really feeling that reassuring, but wanting to be kind anyway.

"Could you please leave? I do not want the children to see this." She apologized to them as they willingly left the area. They should not have to leave because there was about to be a fight. She was amazed that none of them had stepped up and said 'no'. Clearly, these people had long since given up on their youth and were working on keeping their own pure. Not such a bad idea, actually.

Lee sat up from her perch, Gaara rising with her. Tenten took a stance as she got off of the swing. Tenten snarled at her ex, enraged with his presence. "Do you _smell_ happiness and think to yourself 'must destroy!' or something? Because this is getting _really_ annoying!"

Gaara stepped up, moving Lee behind himself and gaining a little distance on the infuriated brunette, eyes trained on lilac orbs. "You made my girl cry." When all the other did was humph, tilting his head down and away in disgust, Gaara moved forward; this shit was not going to keep happening. Like he had said, messing up someone's body was fine; physical wounds healed. Messing with someone's mind to get to others was a _coward's_ way out. The cocky bastard made not one step in retreat, staying perfectly still.

"It does not matter to me whether she cried or bled; as long as I always remember your expression as you practically ran down the halls to go out and find her, I believe that I shall never be able to see you as an adequate rival again. I had never believed that the Gaara of the Sands, badass in all of Konoha High and who was abandoned by Suna High, one of the darkest schools in this state, could look so terrified…" Gaara moved to attack him, a hand formed into a fist as he took two steps, leaving only one more needed to give the throw the momentum he needed to shove this guy's head up his ass where it belonged, when a hand was placed on his chest.

His eyes snapped to his girl, his nostrils flaring with the rage he felt and the snarl on his face almost twisted into an unidentifiable lewd smirk that came with loss of control. "Lee, you can talk to me later about how much you would despise to see me kick someone else's ass. But I am not going to let him get away with **any** of this." He turned to the Hyuuga, very close to fulfilling that plan, but the hand remained. He glared at his girl, becoming pissed that she wasn't letting him fight this battle. If she didn't move her hand, he would just walk around the damn thing. That was saying something since, if it had been anyone else, he would have broken it and damned the consequences. Because he _is_ Sabaku no Gaara; fucking badass that _never_ lost a fight and didn't even know what a bruise felt like till this past week.

"Gaara, please." He took a deep breath, trying to beat down instinct. He couldn't handle this restraint. He had been raised defending himself. He looked into her eyes, trying to find a reason good enough to stop him; and found it. His fists went lax as he looked at the black fires burning in those obsidian orbs. Those fires were not even directed at him, but at the proud man standing in front of them. He stopped himself from stepping forward as she took the lead from them, standing so close to the prissy boy that if she took one more step, they would be able to see the design in the other's eyes. "How did you know where to find us?" Neji sneered, taking a step back and brushing at his chest as if wiping at something disgusting.

"Would I bring Hinata along with me for no apparent reason? I sent her to your house to ask where you went; chances were unbeatable that Gaara would be with you." He smiled, his eyes closing as he chuckled. "That foolish father of yours trusts her as if she were innocent, but the faith he has in that demon leaves much to be desired for."

Lee watched the humor he was getting out of it for a moment before she nodded. "That would be easy to believe. Hinata has the kindest, most soft heart that I have ever before seen."

Neji never saw it coming; one moment, he had been winning a battle without raising a finger, the next, his whole body touched nothing but air. It felt as if he floated there for a moment before landing unceremoniously on the ground; with the solid contact, also came the pain that cascaded over his chest. Opening his eyes to look at his attacker as he wheezed, he was startled to learn that Gaara had not moved forward, but only Lee, watching him with fire-born fury and trembling shoulders and fists as she worked to contain all of that rage inside her body. He stared at her with a wide open mouth and just as wide eyes.

"It _hurts_ me so much that I never tried to stop Tenten from seeing **you**. It tears me apart to know that **you** _used_ me against Gaara. It makes me _angry_ that **you** would use your own cousin in such ways." Lee gritted her teeth, her face down turned towards the ground so that she did not have to look at the Hyuuga. "For **you** to have used my _best friend _for two years; _hurt_ my most special person, be constantly beaten by him, and then saying he is not even _adequate_? Beating at your cousin's low self-esteem instead of boosting it such as family should do for those that they should love…Gaara is no demon." She looked back up, waiting until she met shocked lilac eyes. "_You_ are, and it _disgusts_ me that I once tried to become your friend."

Lee turned her back on him, her whole body shaking with rage not yet unleashed. Gaara watched his girl with pride glinting in his eyes. When the Hyuuga stood up, eyes focused on the her back with deadly intention, Gaara almost moved between them; to attack someone from the back was just petty. He was stopped when he met Lee's eyes out of the corner of his own. She knew the Pretty boy was going to attack her, and she knew what she was going to do once he tried. He moved forward anyway, whatever she planned to do, he knew he would be proud with her. But he never wanted to see her hurt. It was the snicker behind him that stopped him. Tenten met his eyes, her own alight with dangerous predictions of what was going to happen. She leaned forward slightly, so that she could whisper to him without disturbing the two fighters.

"Did Lee ever tell you about the time we went to the City and she took down a whole group of thugs holding pocket knives on her in an alley way? I want you to think about that before you start thinking that Lee's weak; because underestimating her is the worst mistake anyone can make in life."

Neji stood in one fluid motion, his hand flat-palmed as he moved to strike it to the middle of Lee's back; except he struck air. Lee, from her ducked position, slid one leg out from beneath herself and spun herself, effectively knocking his feet out from under him and putting him to the ground again. Kneeling quickly, she put her knee to his throat, applying minimal pressure, fingers pressuring into the ulnar nerve below his nerve, pressing them till she felt bone against her fingertips, separated by muscle and skin. He cursed, trying to move his legs to unsettle her, but ultimately failing; she was an unmovable weight on her chest.

Lee looked down at her captive; as hot as the rage had been when it came, it became just as cold just as quick. Honestly, she did not believe that fighting solved everything. It was handy when you wanted to defend yourself, but not for much else in her book. She sighed, waiting till the fighting abated from the body beneath her. She looked down at the boy with sadness dimming her eyes.

"Why can you not look around her and realize that you have people willing to love you? Instead, you are constantly shoving everyone away. I am sure that you are not as bad as you act; but I will not stand for it anymore." Lee stood up, moving quickly away so that any last attempts to harm her didn't reach her. "I am staying with Gaara! And I am going to watch out for Tenten more carefully from now on. Hinata can do as she wishes, I would not mind her company, she is very sweet and smart. But you should make amends with-"

"Would you just _stop_ with the fucking super hero talk? This isn't a comic book where evil is either conquered or sees the error of it's way, this is real life." The whole time he was talking, Neji wasn't even looking up at her; his eyes staring at the grass as he kneeled forward and tried to get the ache in his arms to go away. Standing, he turned his back on them. He was tired of all of this shit. He went up to his car and got into the driver's seat, not looking at his cousin who watched him with concerned eyes. _'This isn't a fairy tale where the curse is broken and everyone becomes happy again, this is life and I have nothing I want to change.' _That was what he told himself the whole way home, staring furiously at the road.

Back at the park, Lee had almost been about to blow up on the Hyuuga jerk again, when it occurred to her that she won _both_ of the battles. She smiled as he drove away. He was definitely going to think about it. Laughter made her look behind herself, which reminded her that there were other people watching. Gaara was watching her with an unexplainable expression and Tenten was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide her smirk. Walking forward, Tenten ruffled Lee's hair affectionately.

"I don't know about you, but this was enough excitement for me to handle in one day." She stretched her arms above her head, turning away to begin the walk home. "I guess I'll have to leave you two alone now; your dad is going to be looking for you before long, seeing as how it's…" She looked at her watch. "just after 7." She looked at Lee over her shoulder. "Doesn't the dance start at 10? I could have swore I heard your father say to be home by now." She waved farewell to the frozen girl. "See you in a hour!" With that, she was gone, out of the picture.

Lee stared after her, horrified. If it was already 7, there was no way she was going to make her father understand if she was even more late trying to run home now. She looked to Gaara, hoping she could ask him for an itty, _bitty _favor- and found the leather jacket he usually wore being shoved into her arms. He gave her a lewd smile as she stared wordlessly down at the jacket.

"I think I deserve something; I am about to be mauled by your father."

Leaning forward, he captured her by the back of her neck and brought her the rest of the distance separating them, crashing their lips together. Lee began to fight him, her tongue and teeth working to forbade the redhead's wicked mouth from conquering her again; but, before she was aware of it, she had already given up the fight. Sometimes, it just felt better to surrender, because you knew just how sweet it was. Dropping the coat to the ground, she reached around him and wrapped both arms around his neck, pressing herself chest to knee against him. She whined into his mouth as he nipped at her bottom lip and opened her eyes only a squint, feeling eyes on her. She met half-mast green-blue eyes, watching her with incredible heat that could scorch the sun. They separated for air, a thin thread of saliva still connecting them, which Lee quickly wiped away, face flushed red again. It had never gotten _that heated before. Gaara chuckled, amused by her innocence. He leaned forward till his mouth was level with her ear; one of the best ways to talk to her since it was one of her most sensitive places. _

"_I like hearing about how my girl can take care of herself; it was damn sexy, but I suggest you don't do much of it. I am very protective." He nipped at her ear, licking at the shell of it as she shivered._

"_Funny, you did not mention possessive." He chuckled._

"_That goes without saying." Lee smiled, leaning away so that she could get him to listen instead of molesting her. _

"_I think you need to take me home now. I would hate it if you did not get to see me in the dress because father changes his mi-"_

"_I KNEW I COULD NOT TRUST YOU TO NOT GO IN SEARCH OF MY BUDDING LOTUS!!"_

_Lee flinched, Gaara growled, and Lee knew she could hear Tenten laughing from over the hill. _

"_Gai," Gaara began, looking at the man pointing accusingly at him in a spandex jumpsuit. "Do you purposefully walk in on us when we are enjoying ourselves?" He was hit on the shoulder for the second time that night, but he could hardly care. Lee's blush was so cute._


	7. Prom Night

My Second Author's note: I do not do clothing descriptions well. So, I cheated; follow the links on my profile to know what Lee's dress and hair looks like. I did not choose the song on my own; I had assistance from the good people of livejournal. Enjoy!

What If ~ Chapter 7

(Gaara P.O.V.)

Two steps from the door, fixing my bow-tie for the last time, I was ready to get this over with. I had never fully understood why the prom was so important; what was its meaning? As far as I knew, the night of the prom seemed more important than the dance itself, as cliché as having sex for the first time after the thing was. I had no plan of doing such a thing as that with Lee. The idea of taking her virginity on prom night was stale and corny; I would much rather that our first time be somewhere new and peaceful…one day, when I know she is ready, I will have to bring blankets and pillows up to our moon-watching sight.

Keys to my bike in one hand, jacket in the other, I am ready to go and get her; tonight is only going to be enjoyable if I can get her to blush all through it. Publicity is a good way to show the schools pompous assholes that Lee is my girl, and that they need to shove their heads up their shitholes or I will do it for them. Those are possibly the only reasons I am going in the first place; as well as Narutos constant bickering, forcing me to go. There are some things I know I should thank him for, but never have; but then, there are times when I know I should thank him and actually do, just never verbally. Such as telling that bloody Uchiha that he was blind if he did not see the infatuation that Naruto had on him. Of course, if he hurts the blonde, I will be forced to kill him, and then Naruto will try to kill me…and he has beaten me before…

"You're not honestly going to pick her up on your bike, are you?" A smug, feminine voice said from behind him.

"I think he is. It's not such a bad idea, he'll be able to feel her open legs huggin' his- ouch! What the hell, Temari?"

I stand there, not moving at all as I curse the gods against me. Of course my siblings were going to continue torturing me. And I know exactly what they're going to say next.

"I'll give you a ride, after all; I own the car."

Instantly, I turned to the blonde woman standing closer to me than most could get away with; a brunette, teenage boy stood beside her, rubbing at his side where the blonde had hit him.

"No. I am taking the bike, that is final." I turn away from them, speaking over my shoulder at them. "I would not deny her any chance of riding the motorcycle; she enjoys it too much to settle going in a car."

I can hate how my heart softens whenever I think of her reactions to riding on the bike. I can hate of how it stumbles when I think of exactly what my brother had been insinuating: Having her in a dress, sitting behind me and having to spread legs clothed, not in sweats or jeans as usual, but in nothing but nylons, possible nothing. I swipe my hand over my nose, quickly removing the blood that had begun to trickle. I am not ruining this tux just to change into another. There is no shortage of formal wear in my home, but if Temari sees me staining another article of clothing with blood, I will not get out of here in time to pick up Lee. Besides, I would never seat Lee behind myself; she could hardly enjoy that more than sitting in front of me.

I open the door, one foot already on the porch outside of it, when I am pulled backwards, the door slammed in my face. Shit, they caught me.

"You are _not_ taking her on the bike." Looking into Temaris eyes, I can tell that she is serious; that's just bad for me.

I sigh in irritation, glaring at the older woman. "Why am I not taking her on my bike?" She actually sneered at me, as if by not knowing what was wrong about that was just disgusting.

"That's demeaning. Have you ever ridden a bike in a dress? The moment you step off, someone's looking to see some skin." I had never thought of that before…

"If anyone does so, I shall take care of them." I reach for the door again, only to be jerked back…again. I can see what Lee finds so annoying about me holding her back so constantly.

"I am driving you there." The warning was in the growl, placed expertly next to my ear to double the fear any other would be experiencing should they find themselves in such a position. I am not 'they', I am _annoyed _with how she is trying to play this off.

"You are such a terrible liar, Temari." I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "You could care less about her dress and my bike; you just want to see her." An entirely fake look of innocence attempt to mask the evil intentions floating in her eyes.

"I am not, as a woman, I am standing up for the whole female species." I snort, shrugging her hand off of my shoulder.

"You are a woman who has been accused of being a man on one too many occasions. You are most likely planning on seducing her than you are of protecting her from the male race. How would your boy-toy feel about that?" My last question is ignored as I hear her snicker while I fix the god damn tie again, who the hell decided that these things were necessary for formal occasions? The person who was planning on strangling everyone of his guests to death?

"aw, come on Gaara. You know that she would only be doing it to make sure that this girl is the real deal and not after some quick cash." My brothers hand slaps me between my shoulder blades, almost making me stumble forward…almost, but not quite. I give him my infamous glare, wanting them both to go away. Any more of this nonsense and I will be late getting to Lee's house. I can only imagine how her father would react then…

I wrench on the door knob, forcefully walking out the house. There was a time when I could hardly accept my siblings, now I only sometimes wish they would die; this moment being one of those times.

"I am leaving, _now_." If they did not obey it, then I was going to have to revert back to old times where I would just stare at them till they left me alone. I had long since never laid a harmful hand to either of them, and I was not going to start again; that may have been a bad idea, now I _know_ that they tease me purposefully. Their laughter follows me all the way down to the garage, mocking me aside the words they threw at my back.

"Go get her! Who the man? You the man!" I hate my brother.

"Remember to wear safety, lover boy!" I really hate my sister.

"When you cop a feel, don't forget to have an excuse!" Screw it, I really hate them _both_.

I abandon them, my bike pulling out smoothly and leaving them far behind in moments. Temari did have a point, as painful as it is to admit it to myself; I can not have people seeing Lees bare legs…I can only hope that the dress she chose is not going to be too revealing.

(Lee P.O.V.)

"Oh, come on, Pup! Get your ass out here!"

"I WILL HEAR NO DISRESPECTFUL LANGUAGE IN MY HOME, KIBA!"

"Da-, darn…I thought he was in the kitchen."

"He is."

"Then how did he hear me?"

"Because you have a loud voice."

"…Wait a second…you're insulting me, aren't you?"

"You will never know."

"Tenten, admit it! This is taking a lot longer than it should!"

I can hear Tentens sight through the bathroom door. I have been leaning against it for the past thirty minutes. Two days ago, when I had first chosen this dress, I thought that it would be perfect, but now…it just does not feel like 'me'. Looking into the mirror again, I sigh in defeat; I had tried so hard, even having both Kiba and Tenten come over to help…Tenten must have seen this ahead of time; I had always believed that doing the hair and makeup came after putting the dress on. Instead, I had been tackled onto the chair not two feet from me right now, almost painful attention being applied to me. When the torture had ended, the dress that we had chosen for this night had been shoved into my arms, and then I had been left alone in this room.

Looking at how I appeared in this dress, I do not think I plan on leaving this room until everyone has left.

"Gai! Do we have anything that will get Pup out of the bathroom!?" I hear Kiba shout. The kitchen is down the stairs closer to the back door than to my room, which is up the stairs that are closer to the front door. I still wish he would not shout, my father is not hard of hearing.

"YOSH! I HAVE THE EXACT THING THAT SHALL COERCE MY MOST BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER FROM HIDING!"

Then again, my own father does not have to be so loud either. Poor Kiba, father is rubbing off on him.

"IT SHALL BE FINISHED BY 10!"

…That is the time Gaara is supposed to pick me up…he is trying to make sure that I do not see Gaara again! Sometimes, I can not understand my father, he is much too confusing. Surely he sees that Gaara treats me well, had he not already approved? Why is he still trying to stop us from dating each other? An hour or so earlier, he had been speaking to me through my bedroom door, believing that he could only see me when my attire was complete, telling me that I could change my mind. He had promised that, if I did so, he would make sure that Gaara did not come in. I had almost felt hurt when I had heard the hopeful tone in his voice. Had I not heard him fumbling with the camera, I could believe that he was entirely against our relationship. But I do know that, somewhere in his mind, he accepts us entirely. It was in the way he had not killed Gaara earlier for having met with me in the park.

My entire body becomes tense as I hear knocking from downstairs. No, it could not be that late, could it? Surely, it is just a visitor.

"Tenten, what time is it?" I hope I do not sound as desperate.

"Oh, only 9:45, why? Did you forget that Gaara would be coming?"

In all honesty, I _had_. How strange, since I was just thinking of how father said he would turn him away at the door had I wished. If Gaara is here…then-

"Hey, I have a great idea! What if I call him up here? I bet he could get Pup out of there."

I know that my eyes have become wider than should be possible by how much more light floods my vision. If Gaara comes up here…and wants to get me out of the bathroom…then there will be bloodshed and someone just may die. The bloodshed would be between Gaara, Kiba and Gai, and I will be the one to die of embarrassment. I do not like this prediction of chaos, just because of how possible it is.

I slam the door open in my rush to leave the room behind. I grab the white sandals that will bring my attire together; we had tried heels earlier, and I had quickly met the floor. We had decided that the sandals that would clip around my ankles, and were safely without heels, would be best for me.

"I am out! See? I am ready to go!" To prove my point, I give them the 'good girl pose'.

Tenten and Kiba stare at me, faces blank but focused, making me feel uncomfortable. Surely, I did not look that bad…right? I squirmed under their gazes, looking to the floor. They are my friends, so I know that they will say nothing about it if the dress makes me look terrible-

"Damn, Pup! If I weren't gay, I'd fight that redhead for you all over again!"

"KIBA! HAVE I NOT TOLD YOU TO WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!?"

Kiba does not even acknowledge my fathers question, so entirely focused. I feel the heat creep up my face at his statement, growing even more with both of their prolonged stares. Does that mean that they think that I look okay?

"Oh, Lee…you look beautiful." I look at Tenten carefully, making sure that she is not joking, though I know she would never joke about such a thing as this.

She stands up from my bed where she and Kiba had been sitting, pulling me into a tight hug. My breath squeezes from my lungs with the strength of her embrace, but I smile anyway, returning the hug full force. Kiba smiles and makes a sound of agreement to Tenten's statement, making more joy bubble up inside of me.

"Do you guys really think so?"

In front of me, just standing from the bed, Kiba snorted. "Of course we don't. we _know_ you look sexy. That redhead better be grateful for what he has, or else we'll all be hunting his ass down."

I giggle at that, rubbing at the heat spreading over my face. For a moment, Kiba, who had walked up to us, looked as if he were about to ruffle my hair as he had on so many other occasions; I stood still so that he could do so. Before he could even touch me, Tenten was growling at him, pulling me away from the touch.

"Kiba, don't you _dare_ mess with her hair. We have no time to redo it if you screw it up."

I stare at her with wide eyes. I had completely forgotten the time Tenten had put into doing my hair; which I still think took a ridiculous amount of time, no matter how appreciative of the gesture I had been. My hair was so short, what could have been done with it? Tenten had known what to do with it. I had not thought that such a thing could be done, but it had happened.

Kiba directs a pout at her, looking put down. I would comfort him if not for Tenten holding me away.

"It's not like it was hard to do! You just put some curls in it, trimmed a little and there it was! It'll fall back into place the moment I'm done messing with it!"

"I am not taking your word for it." Tenten pointed a threatening finger straight into his face. "I am taking no chances."

I pull myself from Tenten and hug Kiba. In a tux of his own, he looks quite handsome; I am sure that he will knock Shino right off of his feet! "It is alright, Kiba; I am sure that she will not hurt you."

"NO! I HAVE ALLOWED YOU INTO OUR HOME, YOU SHALL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME IF YOU WISH TO SEE HER NOW BEFORE SHE MAKES HER DYNAMIC ENTRANCE! AS A LADY, SHE IS ENTITLED TO WALKING DOWN THE STAIRS BY HERSELF! YOU SHALL RECEIVE NO SPECIAL TREATMENT THEN EVEN SHINO! HE HAS BEEN WAITING MUCH LONGER THAN YOU HAVE AND HAS YET TO FUSS!"

Kiba burst out in laughter and Tenten placed a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her own giggles. I glared at them; this was not funny. This was just _wrong_. I grab Kiba's hand, pulling him out of my room, leaving Tenten to follow.

"We need to get going now, before father tries to fight with Gaara again."

Kiba finally gained control of humor. He moved ahead of me and blocked my way, smirking down at me. I look up at him in confusion and frustration.

"Kiba, we have to get going. What are you doing?"

Tenten managed to get in front of us, Kiba having allowed her to pass while still blocking me. I just could not understand what they were up to.

"Didn't ya hear your pop, Pup? He said we need a dynamic entrance. How can we have one of those if we just walk down the stairs like an everyday thing?"

My head snaps toward Tenten, who was already at the top of the stairs, I can see her shoulders shaking; my heart falls to a very dark place.

"Tenten, what are you going to say? Tenten! Whatever you are about to say, I beg of you! Do not-"

At the third step, where I know she would be able to see the occupants below, she does not even acknowledge me. I do not even have time to stop her before a hand is clamped over my mouth. Kiba is watching her with evil enjoyment in her eyes. What is she going to say!? She disappears from sight and I am fighting Kibas grip. I know I must stop her-

"And now, I present the sexy beasts you two will be taking to the dance! If either of them come to me, crying or upset or _molested_, I will take your little helper and shove it somewhere where the sun does not shine!"

"TENTEN, DO NOT USE SUCH UNYOUTHFUL LANGUAGE! If you wish to make subtle threats, you must first learn where your prey lives, and then threaten them privately so that they have no proof that you were involved in any 'accident' that befalls them."

"You have a point, Gai. You two keep that in mind while you have my friends with you alone, okay? And now, for their entrance! Kiba, why don't you shove Lee down here so that she doesn't run away?"

"YOSH!"

I was indeed fighting Kibas grip, not to stop Tenten now, but to escape back into my room. Why did I never buy locks for my door? I do not think I will leave my room for a while now… since when has Tenten been so crude? I would have expected such language from Kiba. I was forcefully shoved to the top of the stairs, before I managed to give Kiba my best puppy dog stare.

"Kiba, if you shove me down the stairs, I will fall. You should let me walk myself down." I almost thought that it worked, and then he smiles, his stare not on me, but behind me; I suddenly have this horrible feeling.

'_Please do not be Gaara, please do not be Gaara, please to do not be-'_

"MY BABY GIRL HAS BLOSSOMED INTO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN! I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MY JOY!"

Courtesy of the hug my father pulls me into, I feel my ribs creak. Surely, that is not a good thing; the only thing worse than that is my father then carrying me down the stairs in that same embrace. As much as I squirm and plead, I am ignored; even past the third step where I know that I have been revealed, I still wish that he would let me escape back to my room. Kiba and Tenten are my friends, what if they were lying to not hurt my feelings? Walking behind us, I give my best glare at Kibas smug expression. Why do they torture me so?

When I am put down at the foot of the stairs, I know there is no chance of me running back up them. For a moment, I stare at Kiba as he walks around us and goes up to Shino. I guess Shino had decided to forego the corsage, I had wondered if he would or not. It is the most adorable thing to watch as they would welcome each other; full of nuzzling (on Kibas part) and touches (Shino). I only watch for that moment, though; any longer and it would feel as if I were violating a private moment. Stealing myself against whatever may happen, I peek out the corner of my eyes at my redhead. I turn fully towards him when concern overcomes my insecurity; he looks as if he is running a fever-…no…is he…?

(Gaara P.O.V.)

…damn…I was not prepared for this. Maybe this is why so many people end up having sex on prom night; just because of how beautiful their dates are. I had known that she would look better than usual, but I had underestimated just how much she would shock me. Unable, and unwilling, to stop myself, I start a slow examination of her from the tip of the white sandals on her feet to the tip of her now-retro bob. By the time I start a second time at her feet, I can see the red blush _everywhere_. She is going to cause me trouble tonight; I will have to keep an extremely careful eye to make sure that no one _but_ me molests her.

"Ahem, I think you're supposed to give her the corsage, boy genius." I snap out of the world where there is only me and what I could do to Lee to scowl at her best friends, both of them watching us with humor in their features.

"Yes, I am sure that you are done RAPING MY DAUGHTER WITH YOUR EYES!"

I do not even dignify the older man with my attention. Instead, I walk up to Lee, now shyly staring at the ground; it is too cute to say no to. Shaping my lips over her, I savor the spicy taste that defines her, running my tongue over the soft, delicate flesh. She sighs into my mouth, instantly leaning into me and wrapping both of her arms around my shoulders, as if she has forgotten already of her friends and father being witness to this moment. I can take pride in how I can get her to forget about modesty. She is just too precious for me to lie and say that I would not do anything for her. She does not need to know that I am willing to do anything for her right now, even go to the prom without saying a single crude statement, which I can feel coming on.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? STOP MOLESTING MY DAUGHTER!"

A hand captures my shoulders, pulling with more force than necessary. Her arms are ripped from my shoulders by the power placed into the separation, and I almost growl at her father. Damn him, he should know that I find it difficult to resist spicy flavors by now, he had walked in on us on a few more occasions than was necessary to realize that.

"Hey, Red, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Without even waiting for my answer, I am pushed into a separate room by the brunette man Lee has identified as 'gay', Lee staring after me with wide, shocked eyes and fingers pressed gently to her lips. I would not mind touching those lips again, she tastes delectable.

When I can not see her for the wall separating us, I turn to the other man, irritated by her friends and fathers constant bugging. I know that I have a bad reputation, but this was just ridiculous. She was not fragile, she could stand for herself; I may hurt her at one point, but it would never be on purpose. Damn it, she was my first kiss; I am not likely to suddenly turn my back on her. Besides that, with how easily she took down Neji earlier, she could most likely teach me a lesson all on her own. Why are all of these people guarding her like a nonexistent breeze could knock her over?

"Hey, listen, kay?"

I wait for him to begin. As much as I do not care for the prom, I would rather be on my way there with Lee than back here speaking to another person likely going to tell me that he will kick my ass should I harm her. I had already proven to this boy that I am stronger than him, he should not bark so loud when his bite is so weak. When he stares at me with impatience, I scowl.

"What?" I will admit that my tone is sharp, but this has passed the point of annoyance and became 'troublesome' as I often hear Temari's boyfriend put it.

What I did not expect was having a hand clapped on my back as my brother does so often, a smile on the brunettes face. "Yeah, I'm sure you've heard enough times that I don't have to repeat them threatening ya. So, just pretend that I gave you the whole speech, kay?" He pulled his hand from my shoulder, looking past me as if he could see something I do not. I do not dare turn my back on him. "I've never seen her act like a school girl before, ya know? Yeah, I know she is a school girl, but she acted more like a tomboy than anything else. I'll admit, I was kinda scared that someone would come along and play her; the girl needs the kind of love that you can only get from someone you can fall _in_ love with. She's naïve in her own way; she wants to help everyone, but she have done _anything_ to help someone else. It pissed me off the number of times she was ignored, as if they thought she was nothing special, but then I was happy that no one was trying to bring her down." He chuckled, and my eyes narrowed; where was this going? "When you found her first on Friday, I was kinda jealous; she always came to us, ya know? Suddenly you come along and rock her world, and we all are growing around you in her heart." He took a deep breath. "I guess, what I'm trying to say, is that you can get her to do _anything_ you wanted with how you have her loving you; and, yeah, she loves you. I don't have any idea why she does, you are the last thing I expected she would have as a boyfriend. And it's terrifying, 'cause I don't trust you enough to not use her, but I trust you enough to make sure that no one else uses her."

I snort, my eyes closing as I shake my head at his stupidity. I can hear him growl, and I know he has misunderstood my humor. I look at him, amazed at his slowness. "What do you mean? I can get her to do anything I wished? She loves me?" I take a step closer, just so I can show the now furiously-colored boy how little I feared him, and just how true my next words were going to be. "She has had me wrapped around her little finger since I first had her in my arms. She is not my slave, she is my master; I would sit and bark if that is what she wished; _anything _to have her skin flush and her eyes laugh at me. Would she want for it, I would every coin in my bank account to bring her joy; I would allow her to hit me with _no_ retribution. I would leave another _unharmed_ if that is what was her wish." My declaration has startled him, I can tell by the parted mouth and the constant blinking of his eyes. I smirk at his dumbfounded expression. "If she loves me, then I am obsessed with her."

Walking away from him, I continue out of the room till I am with her again. I can only laugh in my mind at her look of weary concern. She would not know if it was a verbal, or physical, war that had just occurred in her kitchen, but that's fine. I watch as the emotions turn to confusion when she sees her friend walk out of the room after me. Looking at his face, he looks like I may have shocked him into his own little world; that could be bad if everyone got the idea that I had-

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM!? I WILL NOT STAND FOR ABUSE IN MY HOME!"

-misunderstood his expression…damn it. Without replying, I grab Lee's hand and drag her out of there. I am willing to do anything for her; had she asked, I would have told her exactly what I had told her friend, but I would not have stayed another moment in the same room as her father when he becomes insanely furious at me.

"Gaara, what did you tell Kiba?" I sit down on my bike, leaning back so that she can get into her spot in front of me. Her dress is so short…it would ride up with the speed I use on this bike. It's only okay if I see her in hidden places, only when she reveals them to me; I'll will murder before I let others see her like this. Absentmindedly, I put the bloody corsage (that still made no sense to me) on her wrist with one hand, shrugging out of my tux jacket with my other shoulder and arm. She sits down in front of me, just as it felt right to do, and then wiggled for a moment. I know that she came to the same conclusion that my sister had first came to by the way her face falls in horror.

"I am…most definitely not used to this." She sits up slightly to tug at the dress, trying to pull it back down. "I think that I may have to go back inside and grab a pair of pants. I can put those one until it is time to get off of the bike again…" She blinks at the jacket I offer her before looking up at me with a grateful expression in her eyes. I am surprised that her father has not followed us outside; for her to walk back in would most likely excite him into thinking that she has denied me, or that I have hurt her feelings within the few minutes we had been out here. She takes the jacket and spreads it over her lap, carefully tucking it underneath her legs so it would not fly away. I watch as a length of smooth, tan legs disappear under the black cloth; I wish now more than ever that she was behind me, just so I can feel those legs against my thighs. "Thank you, Gaara."

She leans back against my chest, turning her head toward me. With no more hints needed, I lean forward and kiss her again. Gods, she is so addicting. I could just live off of her unique flavor, it's unforgettable…

"Hey, love birds! We'd like to go to the dance 'cause, ya know, that _is_ what we're dressed for. Would you two like to move the bike out and meet us there, ya know, because you're both dressed for it _to_?" I can hate her friends just as much as I hate my siblings interferences. I can hope that that dog-lover meets a terrible accident; but that would mean that I would be subject to Lee's tears again…damn it, what the hell did I do wrong to get such shitty reception in this life? I lose with everything…well, not everything.

Wrapping one arm around Lee for a quick embrace, I quickly start the bike and put both hands on the handles, speeding out of the parking spot before her father or the other girl could come out and see what we were busy doing. I am tempted to skip the prom and just rest at our moon-watching spot; but it might be best to show the other students of the school what they have given up without even fighting for it.

----At The Prom ---- (Third P.O.V.)

'_For an hour and a half, they had sat there, watching the others dance. Lee had never once danced before in her life, she did not want to Gaara down by stepping on him constantly. Amazingly, the silence between them had not been tense, or even forced. They were just quiet, watching the others laugh and move to the beat. Lee had nearly been dragged onto the dance floor on one too many occasions; no one was used to seeing her so…girly. Suddenly, she had a lot of admirers, and had no idea how to say no to them. She refused to admit that she was happy that Gaara did. Kiba and Shino themselves had tried to drag her away; not to far after that, Naruto had came up and tried to drag them both up, only leaving when he was pulled away by the Uchiha that used to hang around with Neji. Lee was startled to learn that they were now going out. As happy as she was that Gaara's friend had found love, she was upset for Hinata. Poor girl…she had loved Naruto so much. No wonder Lee could not see her in the crowds, no matter how hard she looked. _

_Not only were there men willing to steal her away, there were girls more than willing to flirt with Gaara. Lee would smile when they came to their table, fully aware that Gaara was not going to acknowledge their advances. Neji had tried to pull this trick on her, she was not going to fall for it twice. Especially since, when either sex approached the table, Lee was suddenly part of a very heated embrace. There were a few different times in that hour and a half where teachers watching over the dance, to make sure that nothing went out of control, told them to calm down, or leave. On those occasions, Lee had grabbed Gaara to make sure that he did not walk out of the front door. Despite not having danced yet, Lee refused to leave. The environment was so hyper and wired, for her to just get up and leave. An instinct that went deeper than common sense told her that she was waiting for something. After that hour and a half, she found what had been missing. She knew this song, she knew it by heart…_

_**("You Found Me" by Kelly Clarkson)**_

_**Is this a dream?**_

_**If it is**_

_**Please don't wake me from this high**_

_**I'd become comfortably numb**_

_**Until you opened up my eyes**_

_**To what it's like**_

_**When everything's right**_

_**I can't believe**_

_A hand appeared in front of her face, startling her because she could not believe that Gaara had let someone come so close while she had lolled into her own little world. She was less startled when she discovered that it was Gaara. With no thought of her terrible dancing, she accepted the offer. She may not dance often, if not ever, but she knew this song in her heart; maybe her body knew it well enough too._

_**You found me**_

_**When no one else was lookin'**_

_**How did you know just where I would be?**_

_**Yeah, you broke through**_

_**All of my confusion**_

_**The ups and the downs**_

_**And you still didn't leave**_

_**I guess that you saw what nobody could see**_

_**You found me**_

_**You found me**_

_She was pulled gently onto the crowded floor, where others had begun to, either slow dance, or grind to the song. The redhead placed a hand to her hip, lacing his other hand with hers, as he pulled her securely against him. Lee found herself staring up into eyes reminiscent to the calm ocean; so very beautiful that it drew her in until she wished that she could just float in them. She placed one hand on his shoulder, thinking at the last-second of how others would place themselves when they were about to begin dancing. _

_**So, here we are**_

_**That's pretty far**_

_**When you think of where we've been**_

_**No going back**_

_**I'm fading out**_

_**All that has faded me within**_

_**You're by my side**_

_**Now everything's fine**_

_**I can't believe**_

_The first step they took, Lee stumbled over Gaaras ankel, blushing with shame as she did so. Maybe her body did not know how to dance to this song… Looking back up into his eyes, she became determined to at least try. She had never given up on anything before, she was hardly going to desert the prom because she could not dance. It had been her idea in the first place to come, she was going to follow through with it. A whispered 'Yosh' went through her mind as she turned her eyes to watch their feet as they began moving again. Five steps later, Gaara stopped them, and she could not blame him. Even if she had not stepped on him this time, the silence had finally became awkward._

_**You found me**_

_**When no one else was lookin'**_

_**How did you know just where I would be?**_

_**Yeah, you broke through**_

_**All of my confusion**_

_**The ups and the downs**_

_**And you still didn't leave**_

_He leaned forward, brushing his lips over her ear. "Do you trust me?"_

_Lee looked up with utmost conviction, entirely sure of her answer. "Of course." His eyes smiled at her even as his lips turned up into a lewd smirk._

"_Then follow me, and don't look down."_

_As she worked to listen to the command, her gaze kept slipping down, wanting to make sure that she was not about to step on him or anyone close to them. After the third time, Gaara stopped them again. Lee stared over his shoulder, cheeks again colored with embarrassment. She was not ready to give up, but this was not going as smoothly as she would have hoped._

"_Lee."_

_She whipped her eyes to stare into his again, caught off guard by the sensual whisper. The redhead leaned in until their lips were so close, she could feel the heat that radiated from them. For a moment, she thought they were going to kiss, but she always forgot how Lee liked to torture her. She told herself to remember that once she saw the wicked light that entered his eyes._

"_Do not look away; do not think. Do you understand?" She nodded, not sure if she would have been able to do either even if he had not asked her to. It was difficult to remember where they were with him so close, but not quite touching their lips together. Her grip tightened on his hand, her other hand taking a looser hold on his shoulder. Then, they finally began to dance; moving so easily, it were as if they had been partners for so much longer the truth. Their hips swayed together and their feet moved them in perfect circles, Lee falling into natural twirls before being pulled back to the redhead. _

_**I guess that you saw what nobody could see**_

_**You found me**_

_**You found me**_

_For long moments, the only dancing that happened was the press of their hips together, both of Lee's arms slipping around his shoulders as both of his came around her waist. Still, her eyes could not leave his; she could not remember if she had blinked since having been ordered to look into the beautiful orbs. She was hardly aware whenever Gaara would make a sudden turn, pulling them away from approaching strangers. The point that she began to realize that others wishing to dance with them was when she could hear Kiba's growl of 'jackass' as she was swayed away. It was difficult to be upset, so she decided that she would reprimand him for it later, when he did not look so smug, but so focused on her. It was difficult to pay attention when he looked with such attention to her, not looking away from her as she did not look away from him. He leaned down till their lips were just barely pressed against the others; his eyes reaching half-mast. _

"_Keep singing; what you lack in dancing skills, you make up for with your voice."_

_She had not been aware of beginning to sing, but, even as her attention was brought to it, she could not stop. She did not want to stop, just because he looked as if he were falling asleep standing up. It looked so cute that she could not help but lean in the millionth of an inch separating them, cutting off her own voice in favor of having his lips against hers.' _

_**And I was hiding**_

_**'Til you came along**_

_**And showed me where I belong**_

_**You found me**_

_**When no one else was lookin'**_

_**How did you know?**_

_**How did you know?**_

For a moment, they were just like that; standing near the outskirts of the dance floor, closer to the tables than anything else, and the dance continued on with them gone; their moment of love only seen by five other people: Naruto and Sasuke, who stood closer to the balcony, Naruto not one for slow songs and Sasuke just not caring about it at all, were witness to the occurrence. Naruto cat-whistled, despite not being able to be heard over the music and chatter, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kiba and Shino stood by the table full of food, watching with opposing expressions of scowls and acceptance, both unable to hate their love, but wanting to protect Lee. Hidden in the branches of a tree outside of another balcony window, Lee's father was weeping; even he knew that they were inseparable now.

_**You found me**_

_**When no one else was lookin'**_

_**How did you know just where I would be?**_

_**Yeah, you broke through**_

_**All of my confusion**_

_**The ups and the downs**_

_**And you still didn't leave**_

_**I guess that you saw what nobody could see**_

_**You found me**_

When they separated, it was not the need of air that made them part, but the emotions that made it difficult for them to breathe when they were connected at the lips to each other. Lee removed one arm from Gaara to place a finger disbelievingly to her own lips, before looking back up at Gaara with awe.

"I think you were saying something…?" She did not want to get this wrong; that could be the end of her if she did. Gaara nodded, his eyes grave with how serious he was.

"I was." He leaned down, brushing his lips over her forehead. "Do you know what I was saying?"

Lee looked up at him, waiting until he met her eyes. There was an edge of desperation in them; pain that came with always being alone haunting the blue-green color of them. She brushed her fingers over his lips, staring directly into those haunted orbs.

"You were saying the same thing that I was saying…" She leaned forward this time, that way her lips were next to his ear for once. _"I love you." _She was held there, unable to retreat a step as Gaara nuzzled his head into her shoulder.

"I would kill for you." Lee chuckled, feeling something wet in her eyes, but ignoring it. She wasn't sad, so it was not important.

"I am not sure if that is a good thing…" Lips drifted over her collar bone.

"It's the truth. It's the strangest thing, because this was the shortest love story I have ever heard of."

Lee smiled, stroking his hair. "I have heard of shorter; it is called 'love at first sight'." Against her neck, Gaara snorted.

"That is not love, that is lust. We had no such thing as 'love at first sight.'" Lee was held securely against him as he raised his head only enough to meet her eyes. "This is going to last for as long as I can get away with you not realizing the mistake you made." He stoked a thumb over her hip bone, making her shiver. "Because you were mine from the first moment I held you, and you're going to be mine till the last time I can molest you."

Lee laughed, her eyes dancing with laughter and warmth. "That was almost poetic…and then you had to mention molesting me. I had almost thought you were being a gentleman." Gaara smirked.

"I'm Sabaku no Gaara; gentlemen and I do not even share the same room." His smirk became lewd enough that Lee flushed. "You should have seen all of those 'gentlemen' squirm when I came into their presence. I terrify men like that away. If you're hoping for a gentlemen, then you lost your chance." He nipped at the column of her throat. "I chose you, and I'm not letting you get away."

Lee shivered under the attention. She still smiled though, raising one eyebrow at Gaara's statement. "Who said…" she began, placing a quick kiss on the tattoo on his forehead. "that I would let _you_ get away?"

_**(You found me)**_

_**(When no one else was lookin')**_

_**You found me**_

_**(How did you know just where I would be?)**_

_**You broke through**_

_**All of my confusion**_

_**The ups and the downs**_

_**And you still didn't leave**_

_**I guess that you saw what nobody could see**_

_**The good and the bad**_

_**And the things in between**_

_**You found me**_

_**You found me**_

The dance continued around them, the outer world ignoring them in their smaller realm. Even four of the five watching them turned away; nothing about the swaying two demanding their attention, though the blonde had to be hit upside the forehead to get him to stop the smooching impressions. In their small bubble, Lee and Gaara could care less about what was going on around them; they were very happy with being ignored. That is…until another teacher on watch came and told them that they had to leave, no longer to stand their indecent behavior. They left willingly, but not until after Gaara cast an exasperated look over his shoulder to a maple tree outside the balcony one over from where Naruto and Sasuke were sitting. It was true love, when he could at least pretend to tolerate Lee's father. It was desperate, needy love when he was more than willing to put up with him just so Lee would be happy. It was utmost daring and stupid when he smirked at Lee's father, licking at his lips in an explaining way. It was hilarious to listen to the group of girls sitting close to the open balcony doors scream as a strange man dressed in tight, green clothes leaped into the building from the tree outside, looking ready to kill. It was even better luck that Gaara and Lee escaped before her father could begin screaming at the redhead, one of them confused and the other smug as they raced to his bike. Hours later, having been sitting innocently at their moon-watching spot, Lee still could not Gaara to tell her what he had done. It was very distracting when he kept kissing her like that…


	8. Seven years down the road

Authors Note: I lied! I could not stop myself! No worries; I will try to make this the last one…try at least…I was never good at ending things ^^;

Squealing laughter rang from the room next to mine; causing me to smile in my waking. I will never tire of that sound…

"Daa-dy…Daa-dy!" Feminine laughter rang out with the cry, and I feel my heart beat erratically to the sound of it. I am already standing from the queen-sized bed by the time the call comes out for me.

"Daddy! You are being called!" I pad silently down the hall, entering into the lighted room next to the one I had been laying in. With no sound, I walk behind my cooing wife, wrapping my arms around her extended belly; I place a kiss on her shoulder as I peer at our first-born child in her arms.

"You should be sleeping." I tried my hardest to hold my most severe, stoic expression against his gurgling joy. He laughs at my attempt, and I give in and smile down at him. "You are spoiled, child." I reach around her and grab our son from her hands, kissing her one last time as I bring him around quickly, dunking him into a nose-dive before rising back up again. He squeals in joy, gripping onto me with impossible strength. Behind me, I can hear my wife's giggle.

"You are going to make him hyper again; We have to sleep too, you know." I watch as she toddles over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room and lowers herself down. I do not know why it is so sexy; but having my wife pregnant with our child…again, brings me to an ethereal high. Maybe the lust is aided by remembering how they were conceived; I can remember the conception of both of our children.

"I slept already; you need to sleep, wife. Being hypocritical is not fitting of you." I smile at her, walking over with our squirming child in our hands so that I can lean down and drift my lips over hers. A thrill of excitement still shudders up my back every time I touch her so innocently intimately.

"Ewww." She pulls away from me, a fine red blush on her cheeks as she laughs at our sons expression. She spreads out her arms and our son immediately retreats into my shirt, hiding his head in the column of my neck. I chuckle as he whines insistently for me not to give him up.

"Kanaye, you traitor! I thought you loved me!" She was laughing too hard to make the statement sound serious enough to catch our sons attention. Both hands held onto her round belly as she rocked the chair back and forth in her laughter. She stops after awhile, looking at me questioningly with the remnants of a smile on her face. "What?"

I had not realized that the awe and love I felt was showing on my face. She is so different that I can never get used to her, she is just impossible to predict. I shake my head at her question. "It's nothing." Concern mixes with the joy and curiosity.

"Are you sure?" Our child, still pressed into my neck, does not see this kiss as I run my tongue over her soft lips. She places one hand on my other shoulder, clenching slightly there as she leaned in.

I am Sabaku no Gaara; and anyone who had known me in my younger days would not know me now. Seven years ago, I met Rock, Lee. Four years ago, she became Sabuka no Lee. Our first time was on the rooftop of the abandoned building, our old moon-watching spot; I had said that I would bring pillows and blankets up there when I wanted us to lose our virginity to each other. I am still surprised that I managed to hold on for three years without actually molesting her; something her father would never believe from my own mouth. Lee had had to tell him so for the whole time we were putting the bloody wedding together, causing her to turn so lovingly red. Seven years later, and she still blushes like the school girl she had once been.

Our wedding had ensured chaos; my siblings had already warned me of that. What Lee had not told me was that her friends had already told her that as well. I had hardly gotten out of the reception with Lee in my arms with how her father had tried and pull her away, but I finally managed. That is when we went to the same spot that I used to watch the night sky with her, laden with pillows and blankets. I doubt having had a bridal bed could have topped how that felt. No one had bothered to tell me that an upscale hotel room had been rented for the night under my name, or that Lee's father would come looking for us there. In the morning, when we crawled out of the nest we had made to block out the summer nights chill, I found out just how bad an idea it was to not tell Lee's father the truth of where we would be going. I still would not have changed that night, even if it would have saved us the time of having to explain to the police what he had been really doing instead of staying in an actual, stable building.

Another nine months after that night, Kanaye was born. I was upset that he resembled me in every way, having wanted to have another Lee running around my home. And then he had opened his eyes…orbs that resembled obsidian had stared unseeingly up at me, and I had been wrapped around his tiny little finger since. It did not take long to realize that the only thing he had from me were his looks; and even less time to realize that his eyes were not the only thing he had inherited from his mother. Our son was a speed-devil, and I was lucky to be able to keep up with him. Up until Lee had became pregnant with our second child, she was able to keep him under control. Now, he is stuck to me as if holding for life itself. I think he's holding a grudge against her for having another child…I can understand; I would be jealous too if I had to share her in the ways only I should have her. I would be murderous, actually. Luckily, Lee is not known for hatred, and Kanaye is so like her, there is no way that he could be hateful as I had been. He is too much like her not to get over this quickly.

Proof of how much I love him does not show in the materialistic features such as others would show their appreciation for some things, despite just how many toys litter his room and the amount of money that went into making this room entirely safe for him and 'fun', as Lee had had to explain to me. I know, no matter how much green I spend, that money is cheap and filthy if it is all that is given. I love him with the affection that my father had never given me, loving him as my wife loved him, if in my own way. In return, I am given his naïve love, so much more than I have ever given to my own father. When he had been born, I had been…frightened, that he would hate me as if I had hated the man who sired me. I have never known more love from the day I was born to the moment at the mall before I first looked at my true mate, then I have known from the first time he waved his hand and grabbed my finger, still peacefully newborn and asleep. That moment had nearly topped the high rating I had given our first night in the same bed, not the same night as we loved each other, but another, earlier, night where there had been nothing but touches and sleep. It makes it harder for me to believe that we were virgins on our wedding night.

Now, nearly four years later with our second child on the way, I am still waiting for life to be a bitch it had once been. There are still days where I feel the need to tear people apart; leading my own business at my young age will do that to me. But that does not stop me from waiting for something to stop going well for me. She still makes me smile without trying, she still manages to calm me down after a meeting with a room full of shitty people with their heads shoved up their asses, she still manages to get away with making curry every time I did not supervise her. I still put up with her unbearable father with untested patience, I still enjoy hinting at what I am doing to his daughter every time we are in the same room together with Lee in another. I still think his expression every time I do so is the most humorous thing I have ever seen. I still can not get over how amazingly sexy my wife looks every time she finds out I was teasing her father. I still do not understand why she loves me, and damn it, I still do not get how I managed to trick her into marrying me.

"Gaara…he is sleeping…" I check for myself, moving slowly as I look down at his face. Sure enough, the eyes that had been Lee's first were now closed. His fists were loosely clenched on my shirt and his mouth open in silent snores. Standing back up again from where I had been leaning over Lee, I place him back in his crib/bed. Leaning over him, I gently brush his wild, red hair from his forehead before placing a small kiss there.

When I silently close the door behind me and reenter our bedroom, Lee is already settled onto the mattress, eyes closed with her arms held around her belly as if already holding our unborn child. I knew she was more tired than she was letting on. I slip into bed beside her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling myself closer to her instead of her to me; she can squirm for hours trying to get into a comfortable spot again if I were to move her from where she fell asleep; it had happened the last time she was pregnant, and it had happened this time. It was just easier to spoon myself to her than wrapping her to me.

I have had dozens of women attempt to coerce me into their bed, both after I came to own the Sabaku Corporation, and before it; wanting me to give this all away for one night in their bed and give them money for it. I have met a few different men speaking inappropriately of my wife, talking about how they would love to, and I quote: 'teach her the difference between a boy and a man; I'll show her what's she's missing by sticking to Red.' Of course, they do not stay long after realizing that I had just heard them talk about my lover with such disrespect. I was still known for being somewhat violent when the people I cared for were threatened in any way. Seven years later, I do not understand what other men speak of when they say, and I, again, quote: 'Marriage makes you a dog with a bone just out of reach; you can bark and look all you want, but just can't touch it.' Whatever the hell that means. If there's a bone that is out of my reach, then I am too busy savoring the bone that is still in my mouth to notice it.

I am Sabaku no Gaara, and I love this ebony-like creature in my arms. Her spicy scent continues to drive me insane, and I am ready 24/7 to show her just how much of a man I am. I am a pervert, but I'm her pervert. I took her virginity and gave her my own; I sired her first and second child. Anyone who tries to do as I have done to her, must have a suicide wish, because I will kill anyone who dares try and take her from me. I am still her slave; and I am her lover. Her sweet ass is mine, and the only unpleasant thing about her bearing my children is waiting till I can claim it again.

(Change of P.O.V.)

I am Sabaku no Lee, and I would do anything for my husband…but I do enjoy watching him suffer when I am too big for us to make love. Maybe he will learn to stop teasing my father…no, that is never going to happen; but it is still fun to watch out of the corner of my eye as he curls around me instead of holding me prisoner against him as he would usually do. For four years, I have been married to this man. For seven years, I have dealt with his perverted mind. For seven years, I have never told him how much I love that part of him. No…he can learn on his own.


End file.
